“Humnasheen has been my most honest composition so far” – Raahul Jatin – Planet Bollywood

In 2019, Raahul Jatin made his debut as a singer with the single ‘Aankhon Ke Ishaare’ released by Zee Music Company. Since then, he has released a bunch of singles including ‘Bin Tere’ and ‘Batao Na’. ‘Humnasheen’, his newly released single, has been written by his father, the legendary composer Jatin Pandit. The song boasts of a lilting melody and the music video has been released in black-and-white format.

‘Humnasheen’ features a mellifluous tune and minimal arrangements. How did you come up with the concept or theme for the song?

I wanted to create a song where the focus would be on the melody, lyrics and singing. Looking at the current music scenario, I felt we were beginning to shift away from these things. The creators seemed to be more concerned about the beats, drop and sound effects. Till date, we remember so many wonderful songs from the ‘90s and early 2000s because of their melody and lyrics. A song will stand out only when the melody and the lyrics are good. In ‘Humnasheen’, only three instruments have been used, piano, bass and drums. It has been my most honest composition so far.

The music video is in black-and-white format. Who came up with this idea?

It was Harper Gahunia’s idea. He has directed the music video. I have collaborated with Harper on my earlier videos as well. The black-and-white palette gives a different vibe to the song. We saw the video in a coloured format as well but we realized it worked better in a black-and-white space. It has been a while since a black-and-white music video was released in India.

When did you compose the tune?

This was actually my second composition after ‘Aankhon Ke Ishaare’. At that time, we could not take it forward for some reason. It is a tune that has been very close to my heart. After ‘Aankhon Ke Ishaare’, I was trying to make another upbeat song. A lot of people told me that in the initial stage of one’s career, one should stick to one genre. However, this tune came organically to me and stayed with me for a long time. When I shared the tune of the mukhda with papa, he instantly liked it. I am glad I could finally share it with the world. I feel no matter what the genre of the song is, its melody should be strong. ‘Subah Hone Na De’, composed by Pritam sir, is one such song. It is an upbeat song but has a wonderful tune to it as well.

One has mostly heard you singing romantic numbers. What kind of genres do you wish to experiment with in the near future?

I am working on an upbeat Punjabi track. It will come out very soon. It is very different from anything I have attempted so far.

You have been doing a lot of live performances lately. Do you enjoy performing in front of an audience?

I absolutely love the experience of performing in front of an audience. Every artist has some quality that helps them stand out. I feel one of the things I do very well is performing live. Whenever I am doing a show, I ensure that the audience has a good time.

Do you plan to sing for films?

That’s the ultimate goal for most singers. These days, there is a lot of talk about how films are not working and people are consuming content on OTT platforms. However, I feel that films will always be the biggest platform for singers and musicians.