Tum: A Song From the Heart

With a hopeful career in music, we learn today about two artists who can potentially make a difference in the Indian music industry with their creativity. Well, they have already begun the work with the release of the beautifully written and composed ‘Tum‘. This peppy song is the creation of Kunal Dcosta and Nishat Chadha who met at the True School of Music where they were both enrolled.

Kunal is a musician and singer-songwriter from Goa. After winning the Voice of Goa in 2014 and performing about 150 shows since, he is currently creating, composing, and writing tunes. Some of his primary music influencers include John Mayer, James Bay, George Ezra, and Eric Clapton which is easily noticeable when he performs. Nishat on the other hand is a music composer and a music director based out of Bandra, Mumbai. After completing his BMM in advertising he went on to work as a copywriter as well as an assistant director on various projects after finally switching to music and enrolling at the True School of Music. Kunal has also lent his vocals for Television ads for popular brands like Havells, Centre Fresh and continues to work with the advertisement industry. Kunal is also a music educator and currently works with 9 international schools across Mumbai and Pune to help them set up their western music program. 

At Goan Insider, we were quite excited about the release of their new single ‘Tum’. This upbeat song is about being hopeful and is addressed to a special ‘Tum’ who could be a lover, a friend, or even a family member. We had a chat with Kunal and Nishat to get some insights into their lives as singer-songwriter and music producer respectively. With the release of ‘Tum‘, we learn from them what it means to connect with others through the music they create. Read the excerpts of our conversation below.

What got you into music?

Nishat: After completing my school years, I found myself having a lot of time in college back in 2010. I started learning simple songs on a baby 3-octave keyboard that belonged to my sister by pausing and transcribing the notes of the internet.  What really influenced the music that I like is what I listened to as a child, which was whatever my parents played. This included a lot of Abba and all the 80’s pop hits. 

Kunal: Music was a part of my life right from my school days. I used to be a part of both the school choir and Hindustani ensemble. It molded into a career after winning the voice of Goa Title in 2014 and playing live gigs across different venues in Goa. When I took the leap of faith and decided to venture out to Bombay and chase my dreams, I started working there with production houses. I am still exploring and discovering different avenues in music suiting me as a person. 

What made you come together to collaborate on this track?

Nishat: Kunal and I really wanted to work on a song together. Before Covid, we were working on one of Kunal’s original songs. With the extra time that we had on our hands due to the lockdown, we decided to make it a productive one and began work on “Tum”. 

Kunal: It was a super fun working process. I remember we decided to work on something in Hindi and see where it takes us. We used to connect on Zoom a few times in the week and just ideate. 

What is the inspiration behind ‘Tum’?

Nishat: Tum is inspired by the isolation we all felt during the lockdown. It’s about being held back from the things that we used to love doing before the lockdown. It speaks about being taken back to a time where there are smiles. This can also be interpreted as a time where smiles could be visibly seen due to the absence of masks, which is pre-Covid.

Kunal: Even though the context is of an unhappy nature, the song in itself is very peppy, playful, and hopeful.  The song is addressed to a special ‘Tum’ –could be a lover, a friend, a family member, who is being asked to take us back to better times that were filled with joy and laughter. 

What or who are the lyrics based on?

Nishat: The lyrics are based on individuals who are stuck in their homes, who desire to be taken away to better times. 

What music genre does Tum fall in and what made you go towards this genre

Kunal: Tum falls in the Hindi Indie Pop genre. We wanted as many people as possible to relate to the song which has a universal message relatable to everyone affected by the Coronavirus. We also wanted it to be happy and hopeful as we consciously wanted to make people feel better in these difficult times and provide some smiles and hope.

Should we expect any music video for the track anytime soon?

Kunal: Yes! we are going to begin production for the music video for this song soon. Currently, our focus is to reach as many people and spread some smiles across the streaming platforms.

With Tum, what do you expect to contribute to the music scene in India?

Nishat: The Indian Independent Music scene is filled with talented artists. Everyone here paints beautiful pictures of words, tunes, and sounds that tell us different stories. This is us sharing a story with you. People sometimes just can’t express enough. Music helps you relate, express, feel and heal. Hence, we are here to help as much. 

Who have you worked with on this project or who would you like to credit?

Nishat: Since Kunal and I are not experts when it comes to writing lyrics in Hindi. my Grandmother, Priya Chadha deserves immense credit for not only helping us but also contributing with a few lines in the song. 

Kunal: Oh yes, Nishat’s Grandmother was so helpful in helping us phrase the song so beautifully in Hindi. A special thank you to everyone who contributed to making this a success who include Cyril Sajan who mixed and mastered our track so skillfully, Drishali Motwani for the beautiful song artwork, Aurville Rodrigues for letting u use his studio Audio Masters Goa and last but not the least our recording engineer Konrad Rodrigues

How can people listen to Tum?

Nishat: Tum is available on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Gaana, Jio Saavn. 

How can our readers stay connected with you both and your music?

Kunal: You can follow us on Instagram accounts, Nishatchadha and Kunal.dcosta as well as follow us on Spotify for all our music.

What are your plans for the future? Any upcoming releases?

Nishat: Currently, we have a plan to begin production on our next projects. We will notify you on our social media platforms for sure. 

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