Anika Bharwani Highlights Same-Sex Relationships in New Video For ‘Bring Me Flowers’

With the release of her debut single, the tranquil “Hot Air Balloon,” earlier this year, Goa-based singer-songwriter Anika Bharwani informs us that she’d already been working on a follow-up at the time. Recently, she dropped her second track, the imaginative and poignant “Bring Me Flowers.” She says, “As independent artists, we know how much it takes to write, produce, mix, master, market and release only one song, so it was quite crazy to work on two songs at the same time but I would do it all over again if I got a chance to, no doubt.”

Bharwani penned her latest offering at the end of 2020 and recalls it being the first song she wrote at her new home in Goa. “This song is super special to me, It carries a lot of memories.” The artist explains that the lyrics are her favorite that she’s written because of its imagery. “I love imagining things as I listen to music so that’s what I tried to do with ‘Bring Me Flowers.’” Interestingly, the track came to be after Bharwani was given an assignment by her Mumbai-based vocal coach Shannon Donald, who had asked her to write about a lie. She says, “Who knew it would end up being super personal to me? I now understand why homework is important.”

The song includes folksy acoustic guitar strumming while Bharwani’s melancholic vocals carry the song as she paints a beautiful picture about “pain, grief and betrayal.” The singer-songwriter recorded her vocals in her closet using her phone. She says, “It’s quite professional, I know [laughs].” Bharwani adds, “But on a serious note, this song is very intimate and carries a lot of pain in it. I didn’t want any external effect on it at all. Just the plain old guitar and voice. I wanted people to hear the cracks in my voice and the rawness of the guitar. It’s how I wrote the song and how I wanted people to listen to it.”

“Bring Me Flowers” also comes with a music video – directed by Bharwani – and features the singer-songwriter alongside Sugandh Dhindaw as the pair portray a same-sex romantic relationship. Bharwani says, “It’s high time we break our stereotype of what a romantic relationship should look like and start accepting and loving people for who they truly are.”

With two singles out only a couple of months apart, the singer-songwriter is excited to tell us that there are plenty more tunes in the works. “So many heartfelt words, so many emotions. It’s all coming so soon,” says Bharwani.

Watch the video for “Bring Me Flowers” below and stream the song on other platforms.