BENGALURU: Most of us could use a dose of positivity and optimism right now, and so Aabha Hanjura’s new single couldn’t be more well-timed.
Titled Khoobsurat, it has a mix of Sufi music with rock, along with a blend of Hindi and Kashmiri lyrics as it describes the beauty of the Valley.
Having done this in her previous songs too, Hanjura unapologetically says, “The idea is to show how beautiful the world is but whenever I close my eyes for inspiration, I can’t help but think of Kashmir.”
Calling herself a “die-hard optimist”, Hanjura says the song has all the elements that she uses to lead her life. “Through this song, I wanted people to focus on the beauty and the good in the world, rather than just the negativity,” says the singer, adding that it makes for a perfect road trip song.
“I usually don’t listen to my songs much but earlier this month, when I was driving to Kodagu for my birthday, my husband started playing it and it was on loop. Even I started getting comfortable with the song,” she adds.
Hanjura credits her song’s addictive nature to her team of musicians. Produced by Hriday Goswami, the song features tabla artist Biplab Bhattacharya, guitar string and banjo by Tony Das from popular rock band Peepal Tree, and Bharath Kashyap from Cinema of Excess on the acoustic guitar.
Ask Hanjura what makes the song different from Roshewalla and Nundbane, which were released in July, and she says while the other two were also an ‘ode to Kashmir’, they were in Kashmiri. Khoobsurat, on the other hand features Hindi and Kashmiri poetry, making it her first bilingual song.
For visuals, she has used animation and a lyrical video. “I was nervous because I felt people were used to having me in the video. I was not sure if they would connect through lyrical videos. But since I was pushing so many boundaries, I thought why not try this too,” says Hanjura.