Kamakshi Khanna finds calm in chaos with new single Sabar

I wrote Sabar while I was on the road for about three to four months. It was a disorienting phase but I was doing everything I loved. Around that time, I had also completed 10 years of writing and releasing music. A lot of those years were marked by self-doubt and rejection and as someone who is very hard on myself, I often questioned what kept me going. I realised it was the joy that music always gives me. It has held me through both the hardest and happiest moments of my life. That bond feels sacred and Sabar came from that realisation. It’s a reminder that I’m still here, still creating and not done exploring this relationship anytime soon. The song is a moment of calm for anyone who is stuck in uncertain times in their lives.

Sabar isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I’m impatient, restless and often anxious, with a thousand questions running through my mind. Over the years, I’ve had to consciously practice patience and in many ways, music has been my greatest teacher. Every chord you learn, every melody you write, every lyric you shape, every run you try to perfect, it all demands patience. The process of slowly building a song out of raw emotions is exactly what Sabar is about. The lyric “mann yeh pinjra hai, phoolon se sajaya hai maine, gehre zakhmon ko sone se bhara hai maine,” reflects that and is my way of speaking about mental prisons, learned helplessness and the beauty of kintsugi, where brokenness is turned into something more whole and meaningful.

I always imagined Sabar as the kind of song you’d listen to on the road, when you’re moving but feeling stuck inside, on a slow Sunday or in the middle of those stubborn 2 am thoughts. I wanted it to sound dreamy and almost cinematic and Nishant (Khwaab Music) brought that vision to life so beautifully. The blend of warm guitars, organic folky percussion, melodic synths, lush pads and a steady driving beat makes the song feel both soothing and immersive — something you can lose yourself in while still holding on to its rhythm.

What’s consistent is the bittersweetness, a theme and style of writing I’ve always been drawn to. But Sabar carries a certain lightness, an affirming and calming presence, almost like a voice whispering, ‘everything is going to be okay.’ That tone feels very different from my earlier work, almost off-brand for me, but it also reflects the person I’m slowly learning to become.

While my storytelling has always been deeply personal, especially through my visuals, Sabar marks the first time I’m telling a bigger story, one that’s not mine. The music video follows an aspiring Olympic swimmer as she navigates the trials of chasing her dream: the relentless training, moments of doubt, battles with self-belief and her tender, complicated relationship with her inner child. The video shows the swimmer and her younger self interacting in ways that reveal frustration, perseverance and the quiet joy that keeps her moving forward. Through her story, we wanted to capture the bittersweet truth of a dream, how it’s not always glorious and most days you feel restless and impatient. Sabar is about the moment when hope breaks through and makes you want to keep swimming.

I’m currently working on my first Hindi album, which feels both exciting and a little scary at the same time. Alongside that, I’m collaborating with some incredible artistes and those projects will start unfolding slowly and steadily over the coming months.