Anika On New Single: ‘What Makes It Special Is the Time It Takes to Make Art’

After releasing her sophomore single, the imaginative and poignant “Bring Me Flowers” along with a stunning music video, Goa singer-songwriter Anika Bharwani – who goes by her first name – began gigging a lot, picked up the drums and jazz guitar techniques, and also started learning music theory. Her just-released new pop offering “Behind the Sky” has been in production since last September. She says, “It’s been a slow process but I’m okay with that. I realized that good things take time and artists aren’t machines who can just spit out music overnight. I wanted to give this song the time and patience it deserved, and I’m glad I did.”

“Behind the Sky” was written in mid-2020 and Anika tells us that the time it takes from writing a song to it finally being available on streaming platforms is long. However, she says, “I feel that’s what makes it special for me, the time it takes to make art. As frustrating as it can be sometimes, I enjoy it. I’m mentally Goan, I like the slow pace of life.”

According to Anika, lyrically the song is quite melancholic and is about not getting the love you deserve in a relationship. One of the artist’s favorite lyrics from the song that encapsulates it is, “Will she put her hand in mine/Dance with me all the time or will I be left alone with the air and a rose?” Sonically, the song sits in a completely different vibe and is dancey, featuring plenty of pop elements as well as Anika’s moody vocals. That juxtaposition between the lyrics and the music is what makes “Behind the Sky” stand out.

For the track, Anika tapped Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Tejas as the producer upon a recommendation from her vocal coach Shannon Donald. “She [Donald] said that this song fits Tejas’s vibe well. And of course, I absolutely love his music, so we reached out to him,” she says. On working with Tejas, Anika adds, “Let’s just say I can’t explain how it is to work with him. It’s a very you-have-to-experience-it-yourself thing. We sat at his place for a couple of days and I absorbed everything he was saying. He very kindly explained what he was doing and why he was doing it. I learned so much from him.”

Currently, Anika is gearing up for a few shows while continuing to write songs and add to her repertoire. “You can find me in my bedroom writing songs, or on the beach doing nothing and finding inspiration for those songs,” she says.

Stream “Behind the Sky” on Spotify below and on other platforms.