Singer-songwriter, composer and producer Aditya A. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Singer-songwriter and composer Aditya A and artist Samriddhi Khatri’s mellow new song “Tarse Jiya” may have arrived in conjunction with monsoons in India, but the “Chaand Baaliyan” hitmaker says it’s not for a specific season.
Aditya says over a video call, “It basically has a feeling of pining. So if you are obviously listening to it in a rainy season, it has a different effect. But when it’s not raining, we also want, ki, yaar baarish hojaye (man, I wish it rained right now) so in that moment also it can work.” The song, however, did start while the artist was reading the poem Meghdoot by Kalidas during the rains. “It really affected me in my mind when I was reading it. I thought to create a similar vibe in music with a contemporary sound.”
“Tarse Jiya” marks the second collaboration between Aditya and Khatri, who previously sang on the 2023 single “Nishaane.” He says, “When she recorded it, her vocal texture absolutely matched what I had in mind. I finished the lyrics and asked her to send it back to me. She just killed it, man.”
In Aditya’s mind, bringing on a collaborator is a decision made based on different factors, but then he also says straight-faced that he’s a very lazy person. “I pick the easiest route, really. I don’t have to wait and there are no issues,” he says. It helps that the collaborations in the past have all been “not typical” by music industry standards. “It’s not like, ‘You talk to my manager, they’ll talk to your manager. It’s very organic,” he says.
The new song currently stands at nearly 200,000 Spotify streams, and it’s helped in part by Instagram Reels, with creators traveling all around – specifically parts of Maharashtra – to celebrate the rainy outdoors. Aditya traveled as well, but to Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj to shoot a music video for “Tarse Jiya.” Released earlier in August, the video moves between footage of Khatri and Aditya performing the song in a living room and footage of the artist on a motorbike through the hills, setting up camp and making a furry friend along the way.
Funnily enough, Aditya says when they headed to the hills, they found a lot more sunny days than rain and almost thought it was going to be anti-climactic. “We drove to a higher place and it did rain, so the clouds were all around,” he adds.
It’s been just over four years since “Chaand Baliyaan” and Aditya has plenty more hits to his name – “Awaargi,” “Khwab” and “Sunday,” among others – but he says he’s always been amazed by “the love it got.” He says, “When it blew up, it blew my mind. It’s very encouraging and it gives you a lot of energy to make more music.”
Have these slew of Hindi pop hits brought Bollywood film producers at Aditya’s door? He says he’s “in talks with a few people about film music” but doesn’t say more than “it might happen soon.” His pre-requisite is mostly “creative independence.” He adds, “I did music for the OTT series Slum Golf [2023]. They [show makers] were very clear. They were like, ‘We want music that enhances the story. You are creating something that is an alter ego of the protagonist.’ So that really resonated with me. Their vision was clear, so I knew what not to do. That was helpful in creating the songs.”
His signature music style – the one that arguably made “Chaand Baliyaan” and more songs favored by millions – is one that stays close to the easy listening space. It might be called easy listening, but Aditya agrees when asked if it’s difficult to make songs with that goal. “You have to create an ambience that is relevant, and sometimes you are in your own mind when you are creating something, and you need another perspective to really know what you are making,” he says.
