For singer Sanjeev Chilukuri, music has never been a straight line. It has moved through cities, classrooms, studios and quiet moments of self-doubt, slowly shaping the artist he is today. His latest independent release, Tomta Takita, feels like a reflection of that journey, rooted in lived experience and driven by a simple idea of celebrating life as it is.
Talking about his journey, Sanjeev traces music back to childhood. “I have been learning music since childhood. I learnt Carnatic classical music in Hyderabad for roughly two years, then continued my academic studies and completed engineering. During college, I realised I wanted to be a singer, so I started making covers. My first cover from a musical movie gained attention at university and gave me the confidence to do more. After engineering, I joined KM Music Conservatory in Chennai, studied audio engineering, Hindustani vocals, piano and western vocals. During Covid, I took classes in Hyderabad for pocket money, worked as an intern in a studio, performed with a band and kept learning. I moved to Mumbai in 2021, worked under a sound engineer, assisted on films like 83, Laal Singh Chaddha and Brahmastra as a language supervisor and chorus singer, and kept seeking more opportunities,” he says.
Living in different cities, he feels, has shaped his music and sound. “During my college time, I was listening to songs with a lot of South Indian percussion, and near our hostel, there were tribal people who played these instruments. We would go for worship and listen to them, and those sounds stayed with me. I felt I should use these elements in a Hindi song to give it a new flavour. That is how this folk fusion came from my culture and roots,” he explains.
Talking about the thought behind creating the song and the intention to move away from routine themes, he explains, “I composed this song with my friend Dhyan. We wanted to do something different, not a romantic song, so the idea became an inspiring celebration of life, reminding people to enjoy the present and celebrate life with its many emotions.”
Explaining how his technical background shaped the sound of the track, Sanjeev shares, “When you know audio engineering, you already know the output you want. We wanted the song to feel rustic and raw, so people can relate to it easily.”
Looking ahead, Sanjeev says, “I have a song for Netflix that is expected to be released, although I am still waiting for confirmation. I also have three independent songs coming up in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The Hindi one is a trance song, while the Telugu and Tamil ones are love songs, with the Tamil track also blending a bit of a Punjabi twist.”