Kimberley Rodrigues’ cheery debut single Aa Jhoom is all about celebrating life

Singer-songwriter Kimberley Rodrigues worked on her debut single, Aa Jhoom, for four long years, before ‘things worked out’. Written and composed by Kimberley, the recently released track also features guitar and percussion notes by multi-instrumentalist Dhruv Vishwanath. “I wrote the song in 2014 in about 15 minutes. It’s the only song that took me so little time to finish. It was everything I was feeling at the moment that I put into words,” says the New Delhi-based singer, adding that she was sure that this would make the perfect debut. “Being an indie musician isn’t easy, especially while attempting to cope with the budget of releasing a single and a video too. So I wanted to plan things in a way that works for me, while doing justice to the track. Throughout, I knew there was no other song that could be my debut, though I have a few already written,” she says. 

Staying true to its name — which translates to come, groove in Hindi, the four-minute track is cheery and upbeat, paired with a catchy chorus and chirpy vocals of Kimberley. Themed on the idea of celebrating life, the video too (released on YouTube) is a mix of brief clips shot by Kimberley and her cousin, Sarah Sherpa, over three summers. The small collection of montage features candid moments where Kimberley is seen either rolling on the grass or sitting by a lake. “We shot a few hundred tiny videos over three years and put them together early this year. None of it was choreographed or planned to be shot. They’re more like snippets from my vacations. When we played Aa Jhoom in the background, the video fits well. The idea of ‘live every moment’ was put across perfectly with the video,” she shares. The final version also features animation by editor and motion graphic designer Pawas Aakrsh.

The self-taught musician, who has performed with rock bands like Euphoria and Antariksh, began her career about a decade ago. Growing up in a family that loved music, Kimberley recollects that her initial experiences were with genres like classic rock and r ’n’ b. “I listen to as many different genres and musicians as possible since I’m a full-time artiste now. I don’t want to put myself in a box and make only one kind of music. My other tracks that will be out later this year are in English and have a different sound. I want to give myself that freedom to experiment with music,” she says. 

Available on YouTube.