Fate was at work. Much like the ‘Hand of God’.
That’s how Avin Joseph, aka AJ Megamind, and Anamika Mani describe their first collaboration — a World Cup anthem from God’s Own Country.
At a time when fans were lamenting the lack of an exciting football anthem this year, these two little-known artists from Kerala took up the challenge. And their track titled ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling’ hit the right chord. It pumps up the sporty feeling, you know.
It all happened just weeks before the World Cup kick-off, the duo explains. Anamika, a diploma student, had always wanted to release her own rap song. So why not make one about football, she thought.
“I messaged Avin on Instagram. And he also thought, why not,” she says.
Avin immediately sat down with his pen. “It took maybe 10 minutes to write the base verse,” he laughs. “When an idea strikes, words simply flow. I just need to be in the zone.”
He sent the lines to Anamika, and she could immediately get into it. “I also sent it to my friend Vyshnav Shaji, aka Vy. Within five minutes, he sent back a beat. Thus was born the track. It was in quick-fire mode.”
The Ernakulam-based duo say there was no plan to release the track. “We did it just for the kick of it. But our friends insisted that this was a song that should be out there,” they say.
Within a few days, Anamika and Avin entered a recording studio with big dreams. For the “Ooooh, Ole Ole” chorus, they took along Anamika’s brother.
The adventure paid off. On June 8, they released a short clip on Instagram. Within 24 hours, the track started trending.
“It suddenly went viral. People seem to love it. We didn’t expect such a scale-up,” the duo gush. Anamika and Avin are now in ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling’ mode. Riding on cloud nine.
“Listeners are now tagging FIFA to draw attention to our song. Lots of encouragement is coming our way. Studios are also reaching out now. It is overwhelming,” says Avin, who quit his bank job two years ago to focus on music.
Notably, this is not the first song the singer-lyricist has released. Along with several advertising jingles, he has put out tracks such as ‘Thane’ and ‘Know My Name’, which have already found a dedicated audience.
Those discovering his music through the football anthem may be in for a surprise. His earlier releases are melodic tracks woven together with rap verses. “I love writing melodies,” he smiles.
“An album where melody meets flowing verses — that’s my dream.”
Anamika, who was once hesitant about releasing her own music, is slowly gaining confidence. “It was all just a hobby initially…. singing the raps of my favourite artists such as Eminem, Nicki Minaj and Jennie of K-pop band Blackpink. But now I have begun thinking about releasing my own tracks. The stuff is ready. Hopefully, it will happen soon.”
For now, however, Avin and Anamika are busy planning a video for the song. “We have received some funding. We hope to launch it by the time the World Cup frenzy peaks after the group stage,” they say.
“The perfect climax to this dream would be grooving to ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling’ as we watch Argentina lift the World Cup once again.”