The times we are living in have thrown the creative genes in people into overdrive but it can be fun too. Pop-rap producer Nikhil Malik aka Iconyk, who hails from Delhi, has come up with one such Instagram-based fun collaboration – Strangers In My Bedroom.
“Strangers In My Bedroom is born out of my discovery of some wonderful talent over the Internet and just reaching out to them via Instagram. I have never met these artistes before and only have an online relationship with them. We like each other’s pictures, talk about music. As both parties are collaborating from their respective bedrooms, I thought this would be an apt name,” he says.
In the past, Iconyk has been a part of Delhi bands Blank Noise, Half Step Down and Cyanide. He released Chill At Least in July on modern-day relationships that involve “chilling” together (read: Netflix & Chill). But this collaborative series was born in June, when he sound-boarded the idea to an artiste he wanted to collaborate with – Tyesha Kohli. “We wanted to collaborate on a track for about two years and just couldn’t find the time to make it happen. Once we finished the track, I just felt like I was onto something. Consequently, I just kept reaching out to voices that stood out to me. All my collaborators are unique in some way.”
The LA/Mumbai-based artiste, at present situated in Delhi, released the third installment of the project on October 2, where he’s seen jamming with Nikita, (singer of the Masaba Masaba fame) on Jorja Smith’s Be Honest. The first three episodes of SIMB are viewable on Iconyk’s Instagram page.
“My next collaborator is Mary Ann, a wonderful singer, and visual artist from Trivandrum. More names are being added to the list as we speak. I have also garnered some interest from Bollywood singers and you might see them in the coming episodes. The topics in these episodes range from women empowerment, unfaithful relationships, breakups, and love. All episodes have a different vibe and I will slowly introduce mash-ups that will offer a mix of Hindi and Western music,” adds the artist.
Iconyk is considering releasing one episode per week instead of fortnightly, as it is now, because his list of collaborators is on the rise. “My collaborators and I usually pick a song that appeals to us or has some significance in our lives. The whole process takes about a week with all the revisions,” adds the artiste. The sound is predominantly modern pop-R&B and the artistes have emphasised the need and the resolve to keep things a bit different.
He is also working on two tracks. “The first one is a Spanish remix of my track, Chill At least. It’s a smooth Latin vibe. I am excited about my next single, X, With Love. It is about coming out stronger from a failed relationship. I will release a couple of tracks with my brother UpsideDown. We have a big release coming up this November.”