A true-blue breakout star during the pandemic, Ambika Nayak a.k.a Kayan is now well and truly established as one of Indian social media’s most coveted artists. The singer-songwriter has really come into her own over the last couple of years, with songs like Please, Cool Kids and Be Alright doing the rounds all over Instagram, and popping up all over on must-listen Spotify playlists.
Ambika, who has earlier performed with bands and is also a DJ, looks set to be a regular on the indie charts for years to come, with her recent collaboration with OAFF — So Good — already an instant earworm.
Part of Vh1 India’s Sound Nation League, the musician who is based in Mumbai, finds time to have a quick chat with us on her upcoming songs, her acting debut, her social media presence and more.
Excerpts from an interview:
Ambika, you really broke onto the scene last year with your music and its vibe. How would you best describe your songs?
Typically, if you had to put a genre to my music, it is pop, with a bit of soul, jazz and R&B. I listen to various artists, so that definitely reflects in my songwriting. The three songs I’ve put out so far can be broadly considered pop, but the next release that is coming through will be quite different from my previous work.
But I’m not restricted to the music and songs I write, and I feel like I’ll always be growing and evolving as a performer.
You were already an active performer with your earlier acts, before you introduced your solo work as Kayan. How do you balance everything?
It’s not that my earlier acts Kimochi Youkai and Nothing Anonymous are inactive, but it’s just that with the pandemic, it’s been tough to get together and make music. We have all been working on a bunch of things individually and with other people, and I’m sure when the time is right, we will create something again. There’s unfortunately only so much you can do online without meeting each other in person.
Having said that, I have been performing at venues and actively DJ-ing, and then of course, Kayan happened. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do for myself since forever, but I guess just like how a lot of people started writing music during the pandemic, the time just felt right for me to establish myself as a solo artist properly.
As someone with an avid social media following, how important is it for new musicians to engage with their audience online in different ways? Apart from your music, you put so much of yourself out there: your fashion, your friends, what you listen to, and so on..
Well, technically, yes, social media is super important for people to find me and listen to my music, and for me to access them as well. But I also know a lot of musicians and actors who aren’t on Instagram at all, and they figure out other ways to get their work out to the audience.
Apart from when I’m posting a promo of a music video that I’ve shot for or stuff like that, I’m not consciously thinking of what I’m sharing at all. I like documenting my life as much as I can, I have wonderful friends and family who I meet often, and I like putting all these pictures out there. I guess, in a way, if that’s got my vibe across to people, and if they follow me for all those different things, it’s fantastic. My personality is not just about the music I make, because that’s just one thing and I’m not one thing only. So if all that is coming across on my social media, that is brilliant!
You’re part of Vh1 India’s Sound Nation League, with several other artists from across the country. As a singer-songwriter, have you finally adapted to this new normal of performing virtually?
Well, we don’t really have an option these days. As humans, we have to adapt and move forward, making the best choices without losing hope or faith that things will change.
Kayan: ‘My motivation is constantly changing in life’ | Photo Credit: Bharat Rawal
During the first lockdown, I did a bunch of live concerts and performances, but then I honestly just stopped enjoying it. I realised that if I really wanted to get my music out, I could just sing with my keyboard sometime and go live or share stories on Instagram. I really hit a saturation point, as everybody was doing the same thing.
But when events like Sound Nation League come my way, I’m genuinely excited. It’s interesting to sing and record this time around, because it’s so well put together. This event really stands out from all the others. But yes, we have all adapted to this virtual new normal of performing for now, and have to live with it.
In a TEDx talk from a couple of years ago, you speak about the importance of believing in oneself when pursuing music as a full-time profession. What drives you today?
My motivation is constantly changing in life. But I mean, music for me, is really channelling my energy in a very positive way, and it’s very cathartic for me. I find it insane that I get to work as an artist, who can literally write a song about my feelings and then share it with the world. I find that process amazing. So as long as I’m going to have something to express — and I am a very expressive person — there will always be inspiration for my work.
My songwriting really comes from me being able to channel all my energies in this beautiful manner which keeps me sane, honestly.
You recently also turned actor with the web-series Hello Mini. Is that something you want to actively pursue going forward?
I’ve actually been getting some very interesting offers, and I’m really enjoying the process of acting. There’s so much more for me to learn and that I want to learn in the field; it’s not like I’ve trained professionally or anything. But nonetheless, there’s a lot that you can learn from people around you, and I also ensure I read up as much as possible and watch as many things as I can to know more about what to do on set.
And yes, I’m absolutely open to acting along with making my music, because it has an impact on your perspective and refreshingly changes the way you perform too, I believe.
Finally, how would you say the events of the last two years have influenced you? And when can we see Kayan live?
One of my songs, Be Alright, was inspired a little from being stuck in during the pandemic. But then again, obviously the world around you influences the art you make. Suddenly all of us are just adjusting to a very strange new life, and it’s definitely bound to have an impact in some way.
But what’s really crazy is that I haven’t had the chance yet to perform Kayan live. I’m really excited for that to happen, but I don’t want to rush it; I’m okay with waiting it out. There’s a lot more music coming out, another video I’m working on, as well as a great collaboration with some artists I’m really fond of. So I’m okay to just wait a little longer for things to get a little better, rather than go into a frenzy of like, playing again and then going back into COVID.
So whenever it has to happen, it’ll happen. And it’s going to be insane when it does!
Vh1 India’s Sound Nation League began on July 29, and the winner will be announced on August 15