Written By: Yashaswi Kochar“My dream is to be known for my songs,” says Ahmedabad-based indie singer Himadhri Brahmbhatt, whose debut single Tujhe Rok Loon(featuring Esha Kansara) has become popular. While the music is contemporary indie pop, the heart of the song is personal.‘I wanted to debut with this song’Sharing the story behind her first song, she says, “I wrote this song during COVID after my dadu passed away. I didn’t even realize when did i write this song. main harmonium the child was sitting, and it just happened. I have written other songs as well, but I wanted to debut with this one.”She explains, “For me, this is not just a song, but my feelings that I have expressed. It’s a tribute to my grandfather; my songwriting journey started after he passed away. I wanted to celebrate his life rather than cry over it. He always used to bring home the season’s first mangoes during summer, and another core memory is of him taking us for rides after work.”‘I have been offered gigs via social media’Explaining the role social media plays in getting work, Himadhri says, “If you have a good social media following, it becomes a bit easier to collaborate with big artistes. I have been offered corporate gigs and college gigs via social media. However, I also want to release as many songs as possible.”She adds, “I don’t feel pressured about what or when to post. I post videos of the songs that I am listening to on loop, and I want others to listen to it. I don’t really have a strategy when it comes to posting. I just post about what I love, and people who love it will automatically join me. Everybody wants to collaborate with Bollywood composers. I also have many in that list, but I also want to work with indie artistes or bands who have done amazing work, like Vaibhav Pani, Sanjith Hegde, Gini, Shreya Jain and Garvit-Priyansh.“‘I haven’t used AI in my music yet’Talking about the use of AI in music, Himadhri says, “I haven’t used AI in my music yet, but I think it is a good thing. Today, AI is new, but there will be a time when we will start depending on it, so it’s better to learn how to use it wisely. AI can help me to develop soundscape demos which I can then take to other artistes to show what exactly I need.”She adds, “I feel AI won’t impact the music industry because no matter how many songs you create using AI, it cannot add rooh and feelings towards it. If songs don’t have rooh, the audience won’t be able to connect to it. All the hit songs, or any song for that matter, have emotions in them, which AI can never recreate.”
