Singer Chai Lenin explores vulnerability and duality in her new single Two

For singer-songwriter Chai Lenin, music isn’t just melody—it’s memory, emotion, philosophy, and healing wrapped in rhythm. Her latest single, Two, is a radiant expression of vulnerability, duality, and self-discovery, and marks the first step towards her debut EP Immortality, which is set to release by the end of this year.

Here’s what influenced Chai Lenin to come up with her single Two

“I grew up with a music background,” Chai begins, referencing her upbringing in a Carnatic music household in Singapore. But rather than staying tethered to tradition, she’s forged her own genre-fluid path. “As a kid, I always listened to different kinds of music—pop, R&B, jazz, and Carnatic. I enjoyed seeing the ways in which these genres could come together.”

Her artistic roots are grounded in improvisation and self-reflection, a practice that started with exploring ragas for hours and eventually grew into an evolving blend of genres and philosophies. “Over the years, I started feeling this sense of disillusionment with the way traditional Carnatic music is practised. They were kind of ridden with class and cultural barriers,” she says. That questioning led her to build something new—music that bridges tradition and selfhood.

Though music is her soul’s calling, her academic journey is just as compelling. Chai has a background in philosophy and public health and is currently preparing to begin medical school. “I like to call it creative catharsis,” she says of her music, which is heavily influenced by her studies in psychology and Jungian philosophy. “ I use my work as a gateway into deeper creative and emotional conversations. So that I can release those emotions and process them in a more meaningful way”

Two was born during one such period of introspection. “I was trying to sequence what it really means to be vulnerable and I accidentally stumbled upon this idea of duality,” she shares. The track dances between light and dark, the conscious and subconscious, the divine and the human. “It was about whether we can still show up for ourselves, even when we feel that tension between parts of ourselves that feel unworthy.”

Blending Carnatic choruses with hip-hop grooves, the track is a sonic embodiment of her internal dialogue. “I wanted to create something I could dance to,” she says. “Movement allows you to release that friction. The Carnatic chorus is meant to be a celebration.”

Her collaborator, 6091, helped her shape this universe with a beat that’s as pensive as it is danceable. “It’s a new universe altogether,” she beams.

Her past tracks including Tomorrow, Return, and Rebirth unravel a different facet of self-inquiry. “Strangely enough, a lot of my music has been about what happens to you when you’re living life,” she says. “They all stem from different emotional states that I needed to process.”

Chai draws inspiration from an eclectic mix—Jorja Smith, Kaytranada, Rosalia, Fred Again, and Anoushka Shankar, as well as the ethereal beauty of Claude Monet’s work. “I love art that can elicit the subconscious mind,” she says.

What’s next? The second track from Immortality, titled Nostalgia, drops soon. “It’s going to be about desire, not as something shameful, but as a tool for self-expression and connection.”

Two is streaming on all music platforms.

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