I just want to make the most beautiful songs that people have ever heard: Anuv Jain

Fresh off the success of his viral song, Husn, singer-songwriter Anuv Jain is far from resting on his laurels. The song catapulted him to international stardom, solidifying his position as a leading voice in India’s indie music scene. With a discography spanning a decade and 11 tracks, Anuv has consistently captivated audiences with his raw, emotional ballads. From the acoustic masterpiece, Baarishein, which he began crafting at the tender age of 17, to his latest offering, Jo Tum Mere Ho, the crooner has become synonymous with heartfelt love songs.

Jo Tum Mere Ho is a special track for Anuv, as it was born out of overwhelming fan demand. Countless requests poured in on social media and at concerts, urging him to complete the song. The result is a beautiful exploration of love and commitment. The singer joins us for a chat about the journey of the creation of this song, how differently it looks at love, the narrative of the music video, navigating the path of becoming a viral sensation and more.

A new take on love

Anuv reveals that the first drafts of Jo Tum Mere Ho served a very different purpose. “I never thought I would release the song. I have always wanted to use this song as a word bank song. I would strip it for parts and use them in some other music and songs. But my previous songs were received so well that I just wanted to give something back to the audience,” Anuv tells us. Hence, the crooner set out to give shape and form to the song, eventually building up to a symphony about taking a relationship to the next stage.

“The song’s theme was ‘taking the next step with that special person’. Be it friends, or a couple getting into a new relationship or even getting married. The notion that reflects from the song is that ‘If you’re mine, I would never want anything else. I just want to continue moving forward with you, in whatever capacity that we can’,” says Anuv as he decodes the song for us.

This notion is also reflected beautifully in the recently released music video of the song. “The idea that there are two people who are in a relationship, and now they’re getting married was too simple, so I wanted to do something a bit extra,” he begins. “I wanted to show these people who are already married, starting a new relationship, that of business partners,” he adds. The tale presented in the music video heartwarmingly depicts the couple navigating through excitement, failure, success and love as they set up a confectionary business together.

“Working on business is also a beautiful relationship that two people can share. I just wanted to show that despite things going wrong, they stick with each other throughout. As they work together, they achieve that initial success they had set out for,”Anuv says.

The golden era of music

Anuv identifies as a storyteller. This feature has enabled him to amass a cult following for his music since his first release. The boy with the guitar has swooned everyone with his incredible live performance skills serenading everyone in the crowd and beyond.

The turn of this year saw Anuv taking centre stage as his songs (penned and performed by him), Husn and Alag Aasmaan became viral. The songs not only charted high in global playlists on streaming platforms but also injected further consumption in the form of pop-culture phenomena. Husn was being covered by many artistes, both popular and those starting out. Musicians, taking to social media, were even exhibiting different perspectives of the song that originally depicted the unrequited love experienced by a girl, touching upon the concept of ‘situationships’ and how sometimes love can seem beautiful on the above but can be hollow from the inside.

This monumental rise to prominence was something Anuv enjoyed but didn’t quite expect. “It’s never really about the virality. It’s always great to have that as a plus, but I never expected that the song would go viral. That’s because it does not have a hook! I also feel that it didn’t

have that one line of lyric or music that makes them popular these days,” Anuv says adding, “I feel that the writing of the song connected with people, and it just went viral as a consequence of that.”

He mentions that as a songwriter, the most vital aspect for him is for the audience to connect with the lyrics, with everything else being secondary. “People still tell me that they’re crying to that song. I also see them sharing their versions of the same. That made me happy because, as a musician, you just want people to be invested in your work. And when somebody’s taking out time to write another paragraph for the cover of that song, or just to share it on their social media handles — I don’t take that for granted. It means a lot,” he says.

Anuv believes that music consumption has become diverse, now more than ever. “We’re living in a golden era of music right now. I don’t think there’s ever been a time when you could listen to something that was made 500 years ago,” he says, citing examples like Beethoven. From such classics to old Bollywood masterpieces by singers like Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi, and new-age musicians like Arijit Singh, Anuv highlights that the taste that people have in music is vast. “At the same time, non-film music is also growing. You can see what happened with Husn, and now with Big Dawgs by Hanumankind,” he highlights. “There is such a beautiful balance right now between the consumption of film music and non-film music,” he adds.

The anatomy of a viral song

Anuv expresses his delight around how music from across the world has now found its way to Indian audiences. “I love this trend that people are not just consuming one kind of music. They are consuming everything from across the globe!” he exclaims.

Being a viral sensation himself, Anuv also shares that there is no way to determine how to make a song viral. “It’s like a lottery,” he says. Winning this lottery, Anuv highlights, artistes “should embrace it well and try to build upon it.”

As his songs resonate with millions, we ask the singer about what he does to get the creativity flowing. “To be honest, I’m still figuring it out,” he says, adding, “When you have too much to do, then you can’t think. Your mind gets pulled into every possible direction. So when you can just sit down by yourself, I think that’s when the creativity flows.”

Anuv also suggests how to deal with mental and creative blocks, which has affected him too, resulting in him being unable to come up with “that next line” in a song. “When that happens, I think it’s always better to just take a step back and not think about what you’re doing. Just relax, watch a nice movie, look at paintings, go for a drive or just take a walk outside. You can also talk to your friends. Once you’re feeling a bit more relaxed, I feel that the natural processes will take over and fill your brain with more ideas. That’s just how I do it,” he opens up.

The way forward

With his music hitting the chords with the audience already at this stage in his career, Anuv reveals that he likes to experiment after every few releases and wants to continue to do that. “I experimented with Antariksh and Meri Baaton Mein Tu (which had more rock elements). I have also done a song with the ukelele (Alag Aasmaan), so I want to continue that,” he says. Anuv highlights that he is looking forward to collaborating with more artistes, something he hasn’t been able to do much yet. “I want to learn from them more. That way, I can expand my horizons as well and can understand how better music is made,” he highlights.

Although not confirming any details around the same, Anuv goes on to hint that there is a possible album in the works. “Right now, I just want to make the most beautiful songs that people have ever heard. Whether I’ll succeed or not, I’m not sure. But at least that’s what the plan is,” he says.

Also known for his live performances, Anuv’s recently concluded nationwide tour, Guldasta, was like a “monster that was growing”. Explaining how the first and last shows were very different, he says, “The kind of elements that we had for the first show, we made them so much better by the time we reached Mumbai.” Sharing a beautiful memory, he says, “In Mumbai, I got a chance to help this guy propose to his then-girlfriend, now-fiance, and hopefully they’ll get married soon. I was on stage in front of 8,000 people, and he had the guts to do it!” “I would never have the guts to do something like that,” the singer quips.

Anuv also shared that during a show in Australia, when the crowd sang back Husn to him, he had an otherworldly experience. “I don’t know what kind of energy there was, but my body started shaking. It was as if their voices were going through me. And that was the closest that I’ve experienced something to spirituality,” he mentions.

As Anuv looks forward to his musical journey, we can be sure to be serenaded with the releases that comprise his upcoming playlist pipeline for this year and beyond.