Love changes you. It makes you see things you didn’t before, especially about yourself. Delhi based singer-songwriter Hanita Bhambri, explores this theme in her latest single ‘Jalpari’. Concocted during the first phase of the lockdown, as part of her 21 day songwriting series, the single was result of Hanita asking people to share their stories, feelings, thoughts or prompts which were then turned into songs. The song was reportedly written in 20 minutes and then released post a 2 month period of production and preparation.
‘Jalpari’ follows the imagery of a woman sitting on the shore, dejected about not being a bird and hence not being able to fly. Then, someone comes along, tells her that she’s been a mermaid all this while and that it is even more special than being a bird. With such vivid visual imagery, Hanita draws attention to love, and how sometimes, the perspective of another person changes the way you view yourself. Extrapolating, people often keep comparing themselves to others and fail to realize that practicing self-love can help them become more confident and overcome the insecurities they have about themselves.
“The track has been recorded and produced remotely and at home, which honestly has been a life changing experience for me. Keshav Dhar (of Skyharbor) produced this track and I honestly had the best time working with him – we bumped up the tempo quite a bit. We want it to be a song people think of when they know they’re in love with someone and celebrate the best moments of their commitment. After production was complete, I wanted a male vocalist to do the harmonies to add an interesting dimension to the song and thankfully we found that magic in Ashwin Adwani. He sings beautiful open harmonies in the chorus with me and a parallel harmony in place which just lifts the song even more” says Hanita.
‘Jalpari’ has been released via CD Baby, the largest online distributor of independent music in the world.