What did you do musically through lockdown ? Did you release new music ?
The highlight of this year for me has undoubtedly been my debut Hindi single Qareeb on Artist Originals . I worked with Pranav Pahwa on guitars and Anhad + Tanner on production almost 2 years ago and the music video was scheduled to be shot in March 2020 but the pandemic and lockdown happened at the same time and we had to cancel the plan .
In May , we stumbled upon Arsh Grewal ’ s Instagram page and instantly fell in love with her Quarantine stop motion experiments . We reached out to her to explore making a stop-motion music video that narrates a story about a girl who learns to love herself . Every detail and character that you see in the video is handmade and cut out using felt cloth , a technique rare in animation .
Challenges you faced when recording your songs / making new music
Making ‘ Qareeb ’ happen during the lockdown was a beautiful and life-changing challenge that I would not have any other way . The one thing I miss the most is making music with my friends in the same room . Sometimes I find it hard to believe how easy and normal that was . Going to a jam room and feeding off each other ’ s emotions , ideas and energies and then getting to eat your favourite food together . That ’ s something that will always be irreplaceable for me but it ’ s been a learning to make music together virtually .
Singer-Songwriter
KAMAKSHI KHANNA
How do you think the music scene can recover from the pandemic hit ?
I am so proud to see how much the indie music scene is flourishing during such a difficult time . For an industry that depends on live music , it ’ s incredibly inspiring to see artists working so hard to release their music , do virtual concerts , make music videos and record albums .
It ’ s also amazing to see NH7 Weekender 2020 happen against all odds and people taking the first step towards conducting concerts that are safe , sanitized and follow all protocols . I am confident that we will all come out of this stronger than ever before .
What can we look forward to from you now ?
We ’ re currently in the process of choosing the single we should put out next but there are three singles , several collaborations and an album in the pipeline featuring music that ’ s as old as 2018 to songs that are as new as yesterday . At the beginning of the lockdown , I started a series on Instagram called ‘ Green Room Sessions ’ featuring stripped down and raw versions of my unreleased songs . The response has been lovely and also gives me a peak into my audience and what resonates with them .
The Score Magazine
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