From Viral Success to Chartbusters: Akshath Acharya's Musical Journey
By : Reshmi AR
Update: 2024-06-30 07:42 GMT
In conversation with Akshath Acharya, a songwriter and producer, Akshath who has taken the music world by storm, who’s achieved extraordinary milestones in the Indie pop domain. With singles like ‘Jadoo’ and ‘Noor’ garnering millions of streams, Akshath continues to make waves with his heartfelt songwriting and cutting-edge music production. His latest hit, Nadaaniya,’ is the latest trending chartbuster.
Congratulations on your viral success and rapid rise in the music industry! What inspired you to pursue music, and how does it feel to have your talent recognized by such a large audience?
Music just kind of came to me in my life. I have been singing since I was a kid, and I learned to play the guitar when I was in school. It was an on-and-off kind of thing; initially, I wasn’t a fan, but I slowly started to love playing the guitar. During my college days, I pursued engineering, but I started getting some signs telling me to pursue music. Whether it was my Instagram doing well just at the right time, me randomly buying myself a mic, or the fact that the people who were needed to kickstart my career came to me right after college, it all together felt like a sign that I should give it a chance. As far as having my talent recognized, it feels great. It feels amazing that people are loving and connecting with the song the way they are. On the other hand, it is a bittersweet emotion as it plays with your mind because you want to make sure that you deliver this kind of quality every time. All the appreciation and attention are still new to me.
Your music has been described as heartfelt and cutting-edge. Can you share your creative process and what drives your songwriting and production style?
I used to be a guy who overthought every aspect of a song, and in some ways, I still am. But what I have learned over the course of making music is that the core of making music is to trust my gut and my instinct more. I truly believe that over the course of making so much music, my gut and instinct have developed to the point where I can trust them more. In terms of the heartfelt part of it, I feel like that’s where it all comes from. I truly write what I am feeling in the moment. I write about an emotion that I connect with, a particular situation I might have been in, or a feeling that I have felt, and I just put that on paper. All I try to do is make sure that it is written in a way that flows and allows people to vibe with it. That is one aspect I make sure to incorporate into all of my music. As far as the cutting-edge aspect goes, I owe that to the inspirations I’ve had. There are a great number of producers from whom I draw inspiration, all of whom have led the way for this kind of genre to exist. Yes, I am always learning and always taking inspiration. I feel like I am always in work mode. Whether I am listening to music for work or casually, there is always a part of my brain that’s constantly analyzing and figuring out what sounds best and how to incorporate that. I guess that’s where the cutting-edge production comes from.
You have mentioned that you believe the Indian Indie-pop space is missing something. Can you elaborate on what you think that is and how you aim to fill that gap?
Well, if it's missing anything, then that’s me. I intend to fill the gap by just being myself, using my life experiences, and expressing how my mind and heart work. What I have felt and experienced in my life, I turn into music, contributing to Indian pop.
Your songs have achieved incredible streaming numbers and chart success. What do you attribute your success to, and what do you think resonates with your listeners?
I won't pretend to know exactly why my songs resonate with people or why some songs perform better than others, but if I had to guess, it would probably be that even in saturated topics like love, I try to bring a fresh angle. Whether that’s a day-to-day approach to love or a certain approach that hasn’t been explored as much, that combined with melodies that get stuck in your head and production that strikes a chord.
How do you approach marketing and promoting your music in the digital age? What strategies have been most effective for you?
I think the single most important tool in today's world is social media. Instagram is a tool that everyone has at their disposal, and the only thing stopping anyone from promoting their music and reaching the masses is just their own creativity. When it comes to Instagram, a lot of people, myself included, have faced this creative block when it comes to coming up with content and ways to promote yourself and your music on social media. But if you do that enough, you end up developing an instinct for what might work, what might connect with your audience, and what methods you can use to showcase your music to a large number of people.
You've had an impressive string of releases this year. Can you share any upcoming projects or collaborations that fans can look forward to?
There are a lot of interesting projects and collaborations currently developing. I will definitely announce everything in good time.
Music just kind of came to me in my life. I have been singing since I was a kid, and I learned to play the guitar when I was in school. It was an on-and-off kind of thing; initially, I wasn’t a fan, but I slowly started to love playing the guitar. During my college days, I pursued engineering, but I started getting some signs telling me to pursue music. Whether it was my Instagram doing well just at the right time, me randomly buying myself a mic, or the fact that the people who were needed to kickstart my career came to me right after college, it all together felt like a sign that I should give it a chance. As far as having my talent recognized, it feels great. It feels amazing that people are loving and connecting with the song the way they are. On the other hand, it is a bittersweet emotion as it plays with your mind because you want to make sure that you deliver this kind of quality every time. All the appreciation and attention are still new to me.
Your music has been described as heartfelt and cutting-edge. Can you share your creative process and what drives your songwriting and production style?
I used to be a guy who overthought every aspect of a song, and in some ways, I still am. But what I have learned over the course of making music is that the core of making music is to trust my gut and my instinct more. I truly believe that over the course of making so much music, my gut and instinct have developed to the point where I can trust them more. In terms of the heartfelt part of it, I feel like that’s where it all comes from. I truly write what I am feeling in the moment. I write about an emotion that I connect with, a particular situation I might have been in, or a feeling that I have felt, and I just put that on paper. All I try to do is make sure that it is written in a way that flows and allows people to vibe with it. That is one aspect I make sure to incorporate into all of my music. As far as the cutting-edge aspect goes, I owe that to the inspirations I’ve had. There are a great number of producers from whom I draw inspiration, all of whom have led the way for this kind of genre to exist. Yes, I am always learning and always taking inspiration. I feel like I am always in work mode. Whether I am listening to music for work or casually, there is always a part of my brain that’s constantly analyzing and figuring out what sounds best and how to incorporate that. I guess that’s where the cutting-edge production comes from.
You have mentioned that you believe the Indian Indie-pop space is missing something. Can you elaborate on what you think that is and how you aim to fill that gap?
Well, if it's missing anything, then that’s me. I intend to fill the gap by just being myself, using my life experiences, and expressing how my mind and heart work. What I have felt and experienced in my life, I turn into music, contributing to Indian pop.
Your songs have achieved incredible streaming numbers and chart success. What do you attribute your success to, and what do you think resonates with your listeners?
I won't pretend to know exactly why my songs resonate with people or why some songs perform better than others, but if I had to guess, it would probably be that even in saturated topics like love, I try to bring a fresh angle. Whether that’s a day-to-day approach to love or a certain approach that hasn’t been explored as much, that combined with melodies that get stuck in your head and production that strikes a chord.
How do you approach marketing and promoting your music in the digital age? What strategies have been most effective for you?
I think the single most important tool in today's world is social media. Instagram is a tool that everyone has at their disposal, and the only thing stopping anyone from promoting their music and reaching the masses is just their own creativity. When it comes to Instagram, a lot of people, myself included, have faced this creative block when it comes to coming up with content and ways to promote yourself and your music on social media. But if you do that enough, you end up developing an instinct for what might work, what might connect with your audience, and what methods you can use to showcase your music to a large number of people.
You've had an impressive string of releases this year. Can you share any upcoming projects or collaborations that fans can look forward to?
There are a lot of interesting projects and collaborations currently developing. I will definitely announce everything in good time.