Sunidhi Chauhan’s New Song A Passionate Cry For Self-Belief

MUMBAI, (IANS) – Singer Sunidhi Chauhan‘s new song ‘Tum Kehte Ho’, is a very passionate and heartfelt song that is a call for self-belief, telling people to be confident in their abilities and not succumb to the pressure of pursuing excellence and perfectionism at the cost of destroying themselves.

A dynamic song, ‘Tum Kehte Ho’ features many elements ranging from operatic symphonic piano, Indian folk-laden tunes of a shehnai, a thudding bass, soft cymbals, and even an acoustic guitar with flavors of flamenco before the song goes in full-on-orchestral mode.

The entire song is an acoustic song with some subtle drums, a loud bass, and a mixing of folk elements with symphony and orchestral elements.

Sunidhi’s own voice is very restrained, which is a bit of a peculiarity as the singer is mainly known for her very powerful and energetic voice.

Instead, here her whole voice is a bit suppressed, and very morose but passionate in tone, almost hinting at a feeling of strong desperation, and nearly feels like a cry.

The production is very much on point, with the sound design being played in an open enough room, though to accompany its dire mood, much of the soundscape is closed and restrained to sharply highlight the instrumentation along with Sunidhi’s own voice.

The music video for the song is directed by Jomin Varghese, and blends in sublime detail, some striking visuals with surreal imagery and great production. Every detail in the storyboard compliments Sunidhi’s ideology behind the song.

The music video for the song speaks volumes to its themes, as Sunidhi steps on to the grand opera stage wearing a glittering silver dress in full make-up, but there is no radiance on her face, instead, there are only signs of exhaustion.

What follows is a scenario of her dancing alongside others, pursuing excellence for her ambition with the pressure slowly getting to her. While walking through silent corridors, black phantom hands are grasping her, indicative of the immense pressure that people face when following the path to perfectionism, only to break down.

Sharing her thoughts on the song, lyricist Sunayana Kachroo who penned the song’s words detailed: “‘Tum Kehte Ho’ was initially born as a poem in my mind. I wanted to depict how many of us juggle the between our personal truths and the burden of expectations from society; a reminder to never lose sight of their core essence.”

“‘Tum Kehte Ho’ highlights the trials, tribulations, and the isolation that creative process entails while emphasizing the need for self-preservation. Sunidhi has beautifully enhanced my words and ideas by lending her magical voice to the song beautifully composed by Saleel. I really hope this track, in its own small way, helps in changing society’s outlook and free people from the pressure to perform better,” she added.