This new EP by Hatsmyth is a genre-bending journey through identity, introspection and raw emotion

I wanted to capture the life of an artiste through a few tracks — like a journal of personal experiences. One night, I played some songs for Theertha Avinash, who now manages the album. She loved it and we joked about how I’d get cancelled for calling it experimental hip-hop, saying, “theere hip hop alla,” which eventually became Not So Hip-Hop.

I’ve always been an experimental, pop-leaning artiste who naturally blends genres. The tracks on Not So Hip-Hop lean towards hip-hop in their writing, but sonically, they’re genre-bending. I didn’t want to be boxed into one style — I’d rather be known for being unpredictable.

Not So Hip-Hop challenges the idea that hip-hop is defined by just a beat or the presence of rap. Where I come from, the genre is still misunderstood, even though it’s been around for years. The album may not sound like the global idea of hip-hop, but it’s raw, bold and honest — and in that sense, it’s as authentic as hip-hop gets.

Kanna Dence was the toughest track to create. I wanted to highlight how listeners often overlook lyrics and storytelling, focusing only on the beat. Using satire to mock this habit made the arrangement tricky and it took weeks to finalise the production and mix.

I started as an electronic musician, initially writing in English. Vandine Thedum, my first Malayalam song, became one of 2024’s most celebrated tracks and gave me confidence to write more in my mother tongue. I balance tradition and modernity by experimenting with sounds I love, inspired by orchestration styles from the 70s and 80s.

I think my picks for each song were quite unique. The album features 21 artistes across 11 tracks, with musicians from multiple genres collaborating on the same song. Each artiste was given the space to explore themselves through the album — to discover parts of their artistry they may not have known existed. That freedom led to some incredible lyrics and vocal takes, which played a huge role in making the album so unique.

Every artiste has their own process of writing and performing, as CJJ reflects in Kelkkam Kelkathirikkam. Placing them outside their comfort zones was challenging at first, but eventually, everyone embraced the process and began to explore themselves even more deeply.

Yes, every track carries a message and a certain politics. Many explore different shades of freedom — personal, artistic and sometimes elusive. The album touches on self-expression, childhood experiences, artistic independence and the commercialisation of music, while leaving plenty of room for interpretation.

I’ve been part of the Malayalam indie music scene for over 12–15 years and I’ve grown alongside it. Based on that journey, I truly believe the coming years will see a major growth arc for indie music. The foundation has already been laid — people now recognise there’s music beyond cinema and they’re starting to resonate with it, explore it and engage more deeply. Film music, too, is evolving rapidly with experimental genres, bold tracks and an exciting new wave of music directors shaping the soundscape. Every year brings something unexpectedly brilliant. Over the past three years, I’ve had a viral hit each year and I’m genuinely curious to see where Malayalam music goes next. As musical composer Sushin Shyam said, “Scene maarum”! (the scene will change).

I have over 30 tracks ready, along with several collaborations lined up. After Not So Hip-Hop, I plan to explore new sounds and genres, aiming to reach an international audience with my English, Hindi and Malayalam music.