Arjun Kanungo teams up with Pakistani crooner Momina Mustehsan to sing about love that didn't last
A still from Aaya Na Tu
When you hear Aaya Na Tu for the first time, you will most probably think of the one who got away — that lover, that soulmate, you left behind. And that's the point, says Baaki Baatein Peene Baad singer Arjun Kanungo, who has sung the song with Pakistani crooner Momina Mustehsan — most known for lending her voice to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Afreen Afreen for Coke Studio. "Singing a song about heartbreak would be so generic. This is about a deeper emotion of rejection. Usually in a relationship, one person always gets left behind," Kanungo tells us. Though lyricist Kunal Verma wrote the song, Kanungo conceptualised, composed and produced it. "We wanted to do a contemporary break-up song, not using any archaic words." They took it to Universal Music, who brought Mustehsan on board. "I met Arjun for the first time during the video shoot of Aaya Na Tu in Bangkok. We instantly became friends."
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It's rare that an Indian and Pakistani collaborate, and when they do, it always spells magic. The song, which is right now trending on YouTube and social media, could be testament to the fact that music is beyond any kind of borders. The chemistry the two share, and the pleasing, road-trip tune, will leave you wanting more. "Universal made me hear Arjun's song and I fell in love with it immediately. Initially, I recorded a version of this on my phone and the whole process took about two months with a lot of back and forth. We have both brought our own aesthetics to the forefront," says the Quetta-born Mustehsan, who last year found mention in Forbes's 30 Under 30 Asia list. And though the New York-resident is a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, music is where her heart lies. "I don't think I'd ever want to restrict myself to or be defined by a certain genre or sound. Music for me is a means of expression, and the range of human emotion is very wide. I love pushing myself and trying new things. This is my first single and I feel this is only the start for me. Let's see where my journey takes me and how my sound evolves. I'm excited to find out too."
For now, she is taking a break in the Big Apple, as she is also working on her charity foundation. Kanungo, on the other hand, plans to spend the next few weeks focusing on the success of Aaya Na Tu. "This song has really shown that collaborations are the way to go," he says. August will also see his first movie release as actor. "My main aim is to be original and bring more and more of me into the song. It has to always be personal, and hence, brutally honest. That's the only way people will relate to it."
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