A 24-year-old singer songwriter from Pune, Kashmira Khot grew up with an Indian classical background. Influenced by classic pop and rock, her lyrical content revolves around self-discovery and understanding different sides/versions of yourself in the process. She recently released her single ‘What will be,’ a track that explores themes of fate, destiny, and acceptance in relationships. In a conversation with us, she talks about her journey so far.
1. Tell us a bit about your project. How did you begin your journey as a singer-songwriter?
I grew up learning a little Indian Classical vocals, and eventually started doing open mics with popular English songs at 17. All credit goes to finding the right people at the right time! I would have never imagined I’d release my songs for everyone to listen to. I started with covers in open mics and eventually started joining other bands live for a couple of songs. I started writing poems when I was in school, and songs only after I got a guitar, in 2018 (I wrote a couple of melodies on the guitar when I just got it and after learning the basics of it, applied it to compose the songs entirely). Luckily for me, I met Mayank Katare(Guitarist, Vocalist for KASCK) who encouraged me to put out my music. He produced my debut single, “Break Through” as well as “Cut to the Chase” That’s how I began putting myself as a singer-songwriter!
2. Which bands/artists were your first love and who is your biggest influence?
I grew up listening to a lot of ABBA! However in 2017, while being introduced to rock and its types, I heard Alive by Pearl Jam and was absolutely consumed by it. I absolutely love Pearl Jam, and how emotional Eddie Vedder(vocalist)’s lyrics and vocals are. I aspire to be this vulnerable and open-hearted while writing and singing.
3. Tell us a bit about your latest release ‘What Will Be.’
I wrote this song in 2020, while coming to a realisation that I let romantic relationships/feelings take over me, take all my energy and time- as somebody who overthinks a lot, I thought I need to wind down, relax, and take it easy. The song is just a result of this feeling. I believe people like me lose their individuality to the person they love, they’re not the ones to blame, we are. We need to figure out who we are, figure out our goals, figure out our priorities in life, no matter how in love we are. “what will be” gives you a chance to admit how vulnerable and emotional you are. This theme is beautifully captured by Renuka Pohnerkar in the concept of cover/promo pictures for this song!
4. What is your music-making and recording process like?
For me, songs come with random inspiration. There’s no solid process when it comes to writing or composing! But once the structure is ready I make demos at home, arrange them with instruments I like, and send it over to the producers I’m working with, we brainstorm ideas and keep coming up with them until something clicks. Once it clicks, there’s no stopping! “What will be” is a song produced by Aditya Gopalkrishnan. He picked up on the essence of the song and put in his heart and soul too, into making it! We were adding things and making changes to the song till the very last minute. Like bass, added by Niraj Pandit, only two days before we finalized the track and sent it to distributors!
5. Why do you make music? What drives you as a musician and what are your songs about?
I started writing songs as a comfort to myself.. I never really knew you could release your own music without being a part of a big industry/label/ knowing popular musicians in the scene! I would sing my songs to myself when I needed to hear words of understanding, patience, love. I believe making music and putting it out, is my way of telling a listener they’re not alone. Everybody needs time to process and accept their lives, themselves, and I hope it gives the comfort needed to those who feel lonely and misunderstood.
6. Which Indian bands or artists do you admire? And why?
Because I’m a vocalist first, I look up to singers like Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, KK for having such a strong hold over their voices. The versatility of styles, different textures, clarity and quality of live performances, is something I wish to inculcate in my singing.
7. What’s your take on the independent music scene in India?
The scene has picked up quite well in the past few years, I believe. But MORE venues, event managers, festivals need to open up their space for new indie artists, singer-songwriters. I feel like everyone encourages mainstream popular music, it also gets paid well, and musicians are stuck doing those gigs because, well, livelihoods depend on it! The second it comes to a small-scale indie gig, you just have to say Yes to whatever you get! Even if its for free!
The music scene in general, still has a lot of changes to make, and I hope upcoming artists, who make original music, get to be under the spotlight a lot more. We need supportive audiences who don’t tell us to play mainstream songs everytime we get on stage, people who are actually- music enthusiasts who listen to music with their soul. And I know that means we as indie artists have to step up too- get our hands dirty. But I can assure you, we play roles of singers, lyricists, composers, arranges, producers, instrumentalists, social-media managers, directors, marketing- teams, all in one. It is fun, but very taxing, but we do everything in our power to put ourselves out there(it is difficult to outsource things when gigs don’t pay enough to cover all costs). So I think the least we can expect, is a little love and a lot of support from people. I know we can get there!
