Riding high on the success of her successful EP Currents, Kanika Patawari has no plans to slow down. The international musician-entrepreneur opens up about her hit song Khone Do, the artist culture in India and defining global music.
‘Khone Do’ has a beautiful video. Tell us more about your inspiration behind the vibe?
When I was building the song, it reminded me of growing up in Belgium. It was so normal to spend evenings out with your friends filled with music and dancing. I wanted the video to capture that memory of being carefree and living in the moment.
In the spirit of ‘Khone Do’, what do you wish most people would let go off?
I think a lot of us hold back fearing judgements and opinions. We need to stop letting what others think about us get in our way and go after what we want fearlessly. I still struggle with this sometimes, but I do know a lot of musicians struggle with self-doubt and carry the weight of opinions on their shoulders. I’m on my own journey of letting go and in a way, this song is my way of telling myself the same.
What change is India yet to see in the music space?
Our incredible film industry has given an amazing foundation to the Indian music industry. But the challenges arise when artists struggle to share music beyond films. Even internationally people generally think about Bollywood when the topic of Indian music comes up. There is less awareness of the artists and artist culture of India, which is where we need to scale up. That being said, exciting things are happening, and times are changing. There are cross collaborations starting to come about, and it will only be a matter of time that we manage to have a major hit on a global chart.
Tell us more about your plans, what are you currently working on?
More music is on its way. Exploring different sounds and genres. Beyond this, my initiative MusicRecycle is working hard on building that connection between both industries and raising awareness on sustainability.
