Music had never really been on the agenda for Arjun Kanungo. He’d been busy pursuing a degree in the US and holding a student job. But something made him feel like he lacked the drive and passion that he saw in others.
“And that’s when I found music. It ignited that passion in me and I realised that this was truly what I wanted to do. So I wrapped everything up and came back home to see where music could take me,” says the singer. Until then, he’d had no training or background in music.
Largely self-taught, he went on to carve a niche for himself. Today with several hits in his kitty like ‘Baaki Baatein Peene Baad’ and the more recent ‘Gallan Tipsiyaan’, Kanungo has established himself in the industry.
Set to perform in the city along with rapper Mellow D, Kanungo talks about what keeps him ticking.
Tell us about your performance in Chennai.
I am super excited about performing in the city. It’s my first time singing live here. In fact, I used to come down quite frequently when I would meet Anirudh to record our song ‘Sirikkadhey’ for Remo. I love the pace of the city. And I’ve only heard good things about the audience here.
In terms of the show, I will be performing a lot of my originals as well as some Bollywood hits. This will also be the first time I’ll get to perform ‘Sirikkadhey’ live.
This performance will be in collaboration with Mellow D.
Aman (Mellow D’s actual name) and I go back a long time. I’ve known him since before he became a rapper and we’re really good friends. So performing with him should be good fun.
Your recent single ‘Gallan Tipsiyaan’ has gone on to become a huge hit, racking up 5.5 million hits on YouTube in just four weeks. Did you expect it to?
I usually don’t expect too much from my numbers. But one of the real indicators of how well a song is doing is how it picks up across platforms. This one has actually managed to rack up over 15 mn hits across digital platforms including YouTube, Saavn, Gaana etc. That’s more than double of what ‘Baaki Baatein Peene Baad’ did in its first month. And that’s very encouraging for me as an artiste.
Tell us about the making of the song.
It was made across three continents. I wrote the melody here in India, recorded in Paris, mixed in Sweden, mastered in Italy and shot the video in the US. We got to collaborate with some great technicians.
That seems like a lot of effort for a single.
(Laughs) I know. But the thing about singles is that they can’t be treated like film songs or an album. There’s so much visibility attached to it and it’s all up to the artiste and the single.
Is there a particular artiste you’re looking forward to collaborate with?
Several. There’s Brodha V, Clinton Cerejo, Anirudh again, AR Rahman (I’ve worked with him before), Amit Trivedi, Divine. My list is endless.
What’s in the pipeline for Arjun Kanungo?
I’m working on a song with Neha Kakkar and there are a few Bollywood projects too, though I can’t really comment on them right now.
Apart from these, I’d love to work across other languages as well. There have been talks and offers in Tamil and Telugu. Hopefully, I’ll be able to work something out soon.
Arjun Kanungo and Mellow D will perform at Forum Vijaya Mall on December 29 at 7.30 pm. The show is free and open to all. For details contact 49049000.
