Singer and songwriter Hanita Bhambri had an early ambition to become a vocal artist. “I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was 11, it was even before I realised that I could sing,” shares the 28-year-old. “I have had a few detours but I always knew my heart was set on music” adds the singer who has a degree in marketing from the city’s Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies and completed her MBA from MICA, Ahmedabad. Her latest song, Khushiyon Ke Pal—the music video releases tomorrow—captures the joy of the little things that one experiences in love. In this interview, we speak to the Faridabad resident about her song, her songwriting process, and more. Excerpts…
Tell us about your songwriting process.
My songwriting process is pretty intuitive. Whenever I feel I have an emotional response to a situation or if I feel like expressing something, it usually comes out in the form of a song. A lot of times, it is about love, pain, my own loneliness, sometimes about my anxiety, sometimes about platonic love—my friends. Songwriting helps me make sense of my world and makes me feel less alone.
What was the inspiration behind Khushiyon Ke Pal? Tell us about the process of creating this song?
Khushiyon Ke Pal is about those little moments in a relationship that make the toughest of times seem bearable. It is about a quiet, calm kind of love, which is very different from how love is usually portrayed—passionate, intense, and all consuming. Sometimes, passion can just be holding someone’s hand, talking to someone and feeling connected. That was something I wanted to write about.
I came up with the verse and the chorus melody earlier, but it was when I recorded the demo that I came up with the idea for the bridge melody; I wrote it down then and there, and sent it to Keshav Dhar [music producer]. We were working from different cities, so everything was remote.
What kind of music appeals to you? Tell us about your inspirations.
I find myself gravitating towards more singer-songwriters indie, folk, and country music. Growing up, I was against mainstream music. As an adult—maybe it’s because I don’t have the time to explore more music—I have come to really enjoy pop music.
Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Damien Rice is someone who really inspires me a lot. I grew up listening to his music and he is someone I look up to as well. Lately, I feel like Taylor Swift is also inspiring.
The music video of the song will be released tomorrow. What should your listeners expect?
It stars my dog, Shifu. It is really cute. I don’t want to reveal too much.