New Delhi/Goa Artist Aneesha on How Present-Day Definitions of Relationships Guided Her New Song ‘Just Want You’

Distilled yet ambivalent desires come to the front on New Delhi-bred, Goa-based artist Aneesha’s latest song “Just Want You.” Guided by experimental pop influences such as Fletcher, Banks and Niia (among others), the song became a way of talking about relationships from a female perspective.

Previously a practicing psychologist, Aneesha describes some of the elements of the song as a “classic Id versus Superego sort of battle” in the face of changing norms and rules when it comes to relationships across genders. The singer-producer agrees that one of the reasons songs of love and desire will never run out of ideas is because of how evolving our understanding of relationships are, as of 2023. “I think with access and increased choice in today’s day, I can speak for myself and other young people I know –  relationships are totally being redefined. The age-old monogamous, committed relationship seems to be dwindling whilst other models appear to be more preferred,” she says.

Over buoyant dancefloor-friendly production (with assists from producers Utkarsh Verma and Denis Thomas), “Just Want You” is as a late-night conundrum as it is an introspection, all while signaling the importance of mental health in matters of the heart. Composed and produced just by Aneesha two years ago, the song also reflects her love for heavy grooves and percussive elements. She adds about the production process, “A lot of times I look for cool sounding samples and work on changing their original form with delays, reversals, automations, etc. When Utkarsh was brought on to the track, he made it grittier.”

There’s synth-pop, soul and a bit of an all-out electronic approach to “Just Want You,” with vocals recorded at Renaissance Studios in New Delhi and the mix coming in from engineer Kaushik Manikandan. Within a month of its release in January, Aneesha also called on Australian electronic artist Ela Stiles for a remix of the song, which came out on February 3rd. Up next, there’s an acoustic version of the song coming out as well, something that Aneesha says is an indication of her vast listening preferences. It’s not the first time she’s released remixes, however, with 2021’s EP 12:12 bringing in producers such as Jaypei, Mero, SuitStatic and more.

She points to how her songs are often conceived by writing and playing chords and the bent towards storytelling through lyrics also makes her music adaptable to acoustic formats. Aneesha says, “I recently opened for When Chai Met Toast in Goa, and played an acoustic opening set of most of my released and unreleased music and it was really fun to do so.”

With an eye on releasing one song each month, Aneesha is also launching her third single with collaborator Konark Sikka in March, diving into dance and disco worlds. The duo had previously put out their first song “Kahani” with DJ-producers Kenzani and Tech Panda in October 2022, followed by the single “Get Together.” Aneesha had also gained major streams for her 2020 song “Uncertainty,” also with Tech Panda and Kenzani. She adds, “I’m wrapping up multiple collaborations with Goa-based musicians that I’ve met after moving here. It’s so great that I can create and collaborate so easily with people from here; there is just so much talent in this city! I hope to start playing my original sets more this year, and hitting some bigger festival stages soon. Manifesting this wholeheartedly.”

Listen to “Just Want You” below. Stream the Ela Stiles remix here.