10 First-Time Performers at Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2022 in Pune

Saachi 

Mumbai singer-songwriter Saachi has been making waves ever since she cropped up on the country’s music scene in 2016 as a teenager posting covers. She’s come a long way since then with her dynamic vocals, and has even gone on to release a number of singles as well as a three-track EP entitled Clarity in 2018. Earlier this year, Saachi dropped her most recent offering, the soul/funk track “Stop,” along with a music video to accompany the song. If you’ve not seen her live backed by a full band before, be ready to be floored by her performance.  

Adi 

With a background in learning the tabla and piano, Mumbai-bred hip-hop artist Adi’s music draws from artists such as Mohammed Rafi and James Brown to Lil Wayne. Adi has three EPs under his belt; the three-track Testing Waters (2019), the four-song offering Old Me Knew You (2020) and the refreshing genre-bending five-track record called PIGEONHOLED (2020). In 2022, he also released two new singles, “Back in Town” and “6AM in Bombay.” The hip-hopper is set to perform a live set at this year’s edition of the festival.  

Utsavi Jha 

Mumbai singer-songwriter Utsavi Jha gained prominence during the pandemic in 2020 when she jumped on guitarist Ehsaan Noorani’s livestream on Instagram. Since then, she’s been consistent in releasing music and has a total of eight singles out in the span of two years. If you’re in the mood for breezy music, head over to Jha’s performance at Weekender.  

Fox In The Garden 

What began as a bedroom project for guitarist-vocalist Soutrik Chakraborty aka Zico, turned into Mumbai-based indie-rock outfit Fox In The Garden in 2018. The supergroup includes drummer Suyash Medh (from the band Lawntuba), bassist Shalom Benjamin (from The Lightyears Explode), guitarist Utkarsh Jaiswal (part of post-hardcore band Pacifist and post-punk band Honey’s Dead) and keyboardist Ishan Lal. Get acquainted with the band’s five-track summery record Sunny Boy from 2020, which houses perfect tunes for a music festival.  

Karshni 

If there’s anyone who deserves to hit the Weekender stage, it is Pune singer-songwriter Karshni due to the fact that she’s been gigging plenty and releasing stellar music for a while now. From uploading music to her SoundClound in 2019 to working on a couple of collaborations, Karshni put out one of her standout tracks, the hauntingly beautiful “daddy hates second place,” last year. Be ready to be immersed by Karshni’s music.  

VelvetMeetsATimeTraveller 

Kolkata outfit VelvetMeetsATimeTraveller will be repping post-rock at Weekender. Although the band – comprising bassist-vocalist Debdeep Das, keyboardist-vocalist Parvez Mallick, guitarist Suan Mung Khaute and drummer Atri Sengupta – do have vocals within their songs, the group’s main focus lies heavily on the instrumentation of their tracks. In 2021, the band released their four-track debut EP, Handmade Illusions.  

Gouri and Aksha 

Mumbai soul/pop singer-songwriter duo Gouri and Aksha are set to bring their delicate and tender soundscapes to the Weekender stage this November. The pair’s mellifluous vocal harmonies and lush production can be best heard on their 2021 four-track EP, Sum of the Parts. If you want to take a moment to relax from the busy festival schedule, Gouri and Aksha’s set will be the perfect dose.  

Wild Wild Women 

Mumbai hip-hop group Wild Wild Women – comprising JQueen, Hashtagpretty, Pratika, MC Mahila and Krantinaari – have thought-provoking bars and rhymes backed by punchy beats in their locker. The collective has five singles out on streaming platforms, so be sure that you will hear some unreleased material at their set at Weekender.  

Perp X Linfomation 

While Mumbai drummer-producer Linford Dsouza (from bands such as BLEK and Smalltalk) has sat behind the kit at Weekender for other artists previously, this is the first time he’ll be taking his electronic moniker Linfomation to the festival. Joining Dsouza is fellow Mumbai artist and first-time performer Urmila Sivadas aka Perp, who will bring her smooth sound to the table. Although Perp has released three collaborative singles and Linfomation has a bunch of unreleased tracks ready, it ought to be interesting to see how the pair tailor their set for the Weekender stage.  

Rudy Mukta 

Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter Rudy Mukta hasn’t wasted much time in getting her music out there. In 2020, she released her debut five-track EP Entropy and followed it up with another five-track EP called broke my slumber. Mukta’s laidback hip-hop-meets-pop aesthetic is sure to turn a few heads at the festival later this year.