“It was a tough journey for me,” says indie-folk singer-songwriter Taba Chake. A resident of Arunachal Pradesh, the self-taught musician began his journey in 2016 with his debut EP Bond With Nature. With his multilingual discography, he has since carved out a distinct space for himself in the indie music scene.
Last evening, he took the stage in Delhi as part of his India tour, following the release of his sophomore album Khud Ko Miloon, which came out in September. Chake tells TMS that he wants to make fans feel at home. “When you watch performances in an intimate setting, there’s a certain energy — something different from a festival or a big stage event. I want to create that same vibe and energy for this one. I want them to understand more about the writing of the songs, the lyrics, so they can really listen,” says the 32-year-old singer. The evening also witnessed the launch of his album’s vinyl edition.
Chake’s signature sound blends gentle fingerstyle guitar and soft percussive taps with melodies rooted in the forests of Arunachal and shaped by the spirits of its hills. His music draws heavily from his own journey and his hometown, embracing the simplicity of life and slowing down.
His album Khud Ko Miloon is no different. While Bombay Dreams captured movement, ambition, and the rush of city life, the 13-track album is a return to self and shutting out the world’s noise. “I wanted to give people a little glimpse of my journey, from the mountains to the city,” he says.
Voice of home
In 2025, Chake was appointed the honorary ambassador of art and culture by the Arunachal Pradesh government—he is humble and happy about the recognition. “Life is still the same. People know my journey, and I’m thankful for the support from the state. If there’s any event or festival, I’m the first person they call to discuss things. That feels nice.”
Often credited as the first artist to bring the Nyishi language onto mainstream streaming platforms, he produces music in Nyishi alongside English, Hindi, Assamese and sometimes Mongolian. But Nyishi sits in a different creative space — not because of cultural “responsibility,” but because it’s much harder.
“Nyishi has no script. You can’t look up a word. You have to speak it, live it, meet older people, and listen to how they express emotions. English and Hindi are easier — you can call a friend or check a dictionary. But Nyishi demands time and immersion.”
When he released his first Nyishi track, ‘Ngo Akin’, he recalls only people from Arunachal tuning in. Later, he reworked it for his 2019 album Bombay Dreams — layering in jazz touches and folk textures — and it really took off. During his India tour that year, he was stunned to hear audiences singing along. “That’s the thing about Nyishi songs — even if listeners don’t fully get the emotion or what the artist is trying to express, they feel the energy,” he says.
But he doesn’t weigh languages against each other; he writes in what feels natural in the moment. “When I'm in my village, I feel closer to Nyishi, and I try to write something in Nyishi. And when I'm outside my home, outside Arunachal, Hindi is like a day-to-day conversation. I feel more connected to Hindi and English as well,” he adds.
Songs that stay
From his first EP in 2016 to his latest album nine years later, Chake says he has evolved with more clarity, but his goal to write meaningful lines continues. In these years, he has also produced the soundtrack for Shoojit Sircar’s 2024 film I Want To Talk, and various solo tracks — ‘Blush’ (2020), ‘Udd Chala’ (2023), ‘Monot Pore’ (2023), and ‘Kahani’ (2024). His breakthrough arrived with the viral tracks ‘Walk With Me’ (2019) and ‘Shaayad’ (2020), which earned him a nationwide following and pushed his streaming numbers past a million monthly listeners. “With music, you have to tell the story properly. You can't just divert or distract in the songwriting,” he says. “My goal has always been to write meaningful lyrics, meaningful songs that remain for a longer period, not just for one night.”
Having lived in Mumbai from 2014, he moved back to Arunachal during COVID-19 to be closer to home and his roots. “Arunachal feels more like home to me right now,” says Chake. “I feel like I did a lot of hard work and struggle. Sometimes I feel like, why am I doing this?” — a feeling that made him run back home to stop chasing numbers and fame. “Mumbai is good if you want to earn more money. But my goal is to create good art. And for that, I don’t have to live in Mumbai.”
When asked about the plans for the next year, he says. “I want to do projects that feel impossible,” he says. Plans for 2026 and even 2027 are already underway, but he refuses to reveal more. “I don’t want to be big-mouthed. Let time tell everything.”