Lucknow based singer-songwriter Akanksha Sethi will release her debut single, ‘Thoda Sa Theher’ on 6 November 2020. Thoda sa Theher talks about holding onto hope when everything else around you seems to be attacking your sanity. Whether it is a broken bond with a loved one or something as heavy and frustrating as a pandemic, the words of this song only give you confidence that better times are coming. “I wrote it during a time in my life when everything seemed to be going downhill, yet knowing that only music and optimism will save me. Through this song, I brought back the fire I had as a writer and a composer, something that was long due,” she says. The song talks about stopping for a brief moment to look around and believing in the potential of hope and faith that life will always take a different turn for the better. The track is a product of chaotic thoughts that seem to have been pacified by words and melody, and it clearly reflects through the lines, “Kya ye zindagi laayi humhe kahan, Kal ki talaash main baitha hai ye jahaan, Mere jazbaat khoye bikhre hain kahan, Khamoshi chhayi hai, Kab hoga khula aasmaan.”
Elaborating on songwriting, Akanksha adds, “My writing is never bound by the usual verse-chorus-bridge format. For this song, you notice that there is no ‘one chorus’ in terms of lyrics, the tune is, however, consistent. For me, it is more about trying to convey everything I am feeling through the song, and most of the time, it does not see the conventional songwriting path. However, by the time the bridge hits, the tone of the song becomes hopeful and peaceful, and that happened while I was writing it. Although I wrote the bridge in 20 minutes, no kidding, I was convinced that this will make sense. Every songwriter has their own unique way of writing a song, so I sincerely hope that my way is accepted and appreciated!”
Making the shift from covers to Indie originals
There are people out there who enjoy discovering new bands and they latch onto them, but a lot of listeners just want to hear something they already like. They want to hear something they’ve heard before or something they recognize. Akanksha has already grown a sizeable fan base of 7000+ followers on Instagram where she consistently posts covers. She posts an IGTV series called songs in the dark, a medley of soft-toned songs with non-distracting all-black videos, perfect for an evening wind-down. Even for a popular cover artist, drawing a vast fanbase for originals can be quite daunting. Describing her experience, she says, “I wish to establish myself in the independent music scene because the experience of writing an original, is unmatched. From whatever little I gauged, the audience engagement for an announcement of an original song is way lesser than that of a cover. When I posted a teaser poster of Thoda Sa Theher, the response I got was not as huge as when I post a cover. I probably feel that it’s because the audience is used to loving my cover songs since they haven’t heard my originals yet. Well, I can promise that my originals are equally good. It will probably take a song or two for me to build that ‘indie artist’ image for myself, but I am so glad that Thoda sa Theher’s artwork is getting so much love already!”
Speaking about sustaining audience engagement, she adds, “It is not very difficult to keep posting regularly when it’s something you love to do, but I would also admit that the pandemic added pressure for artists to be relevant. There’s an unsaid expectation from fans to stay engaged, but I love what I do, so at the end of the day, it is a therapeutic experience for me.”
Akanksha collaborated with Lakshay Nanda, aka Skopos, for mixing and mastering, and CDbaby India for distribution services.
Pre-save Thoda Sa Theher here: https://show.co/fCv1T6q
Akanksha started her musical journey when eight years old and followed up with formal training in Hindustani Classical vocals. “My first ever stage performance was when I was in second grade. I sang ‘Raindrops on Roses’ from The Sound of Music, and since then, my school pushed me to take part in every possible competition. My father has played a significant role in shaping my music taste because every classic that I oh-so-fondly listen to, he introduced to me. I grew up in a joint family, so all genres influenced me right from Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh, to The Beatles, and Michael Jackson. My taste in music is very vast in terms of artists and genres, but I can only relate to songs whose lyrics hit a different nerve because words hold the utmost importance for me.”
The Lucknow based artist speaks with giddy optimism when asked about what she enjoys most about making music. “Being an artist lets me express emotions and get appreciated for doing so. The feeling of people wanting to listen to your song and supporting in whatever way possible is extremely overwhelming, and I never want to get used to that. I want every little compliment to always put a smile on my face because it means the world. It is what pushes me to do better the next time.”
Akanksha has two more collaborative original songs that she plans on releasing by end of this year. Besides these, she also has more singles that will gradually release through the coming months. “They’re all extremely personal, heartfelt, and carefully penned down because again, lyrics are everything,” she adds.
Follow Akanksha Sethi’s music here – Instagram | Spotify Pre-save | YouTube
