Singer Kaushiki Chakraborty on debut as lyricist with song Baithi Hun: I didn’t even know that I could write
Indian classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty never imagined she would write lyrics, until composer Shantanu Moitra shared a haunting story from Kashmir.
Indian classical vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty never imagined she would write lyrics, until composer Shantanu Moitra shared a haunting story from Kashmir. What began as a personal experiment has now evolved into a promising new creative path for the 44-year-old.
“Shantanu da told me about a couple whose son went missing. He shared a tune that stayed with me. The mother’s perspective haunted me until it became a ballad. When I performed it privately and then at concerts, the overwhelming response gave me confidence,” she says.
Kaushiki made her lyric-writing debut with the album Pankh, penning the songs Baithi Hun and Tarana.
“Mujhe pata hi nahin tha ki mujhe likhna aata hai (I didn’t even know that I could write),” she says, adding, “This marks the first instance where something I’ve written has been professionally recorded. Never did I imagine that my humble writings could one day find a place alongside the works of our industry’s celebrated lyricists.”
She admits the shift required a mindset change: “There was this mental block — ‘I’m just a singer’ — but I’m learning to explore other creative dimensions now.”
With Pankh, the singer has also reimagined the classical performance format. “Beyond writing, I’ve completely reimagined the classical performance format. It’s now a fusion of storytelling and singing — more like an OTT narrative style, where I alternate between narration and music to connect differently with audiences.”
Kaushiki had earlier composed all the songs for her 2015 album Karvaan. Her new outing, she explains, took four years to take shape. “In this era of singles, I needed compelling reasons to create another album. The six autobiographical songs weave together life stories — childhood, mentors, relationships, motherhood — interconnected like threads. If I had to summarise my life musically, this album would be it.”
About her on-going, India-tour she reflects: “The itinerary feels cosmically aligned. Varanasi's spiritual energy and musical heritage run deep in my family. Similarly, Lucknow holds special significance in my musical journey and the way its connoisseurs have embraced me.”
