Anuv Jain: ‘Everything That I’ve Written so Far is Taken From My Life’

“I’m always nervous whenever I’m releasing a new song,” 27-year-old singer-songwriter Anuv Jain says about his emotional landscape before the release of his latest single, “Mazaak.” It’s a sunny Wednesday afternoon and though we cannot see Jain over an audio-only Zoom call, his voice seems to be reflective of the gorgeous skies outside. “It takes at least four months to put out a song with the music video, cover art and obviously the final master,” Jain explains, giving us a peek into his creative process. “There’s so much riding [on the process] because, you know, you work on something for four months and people decide its fate in four minutes. So, I was extremely nervous but I’m glad the release went well.” 

Written by Jain, “Mazaak” marks the singer’s ninth single. Outlining a heartwarming anecdote from his life, the singer enamors listeners with his soulful vocals as he sings “Yeh bhi mazaak hi toh hai,” instantly creating a tranquil ambiance. The music video is equally heartwarming, documenting a series of unfortunate events that follow a couple on their first date. While it is only natural to perceive it as the universe’s default warning system, turns out these are actually a blessing in disguise; one that will eventually lead the pair down the path of a fairytale romance. “The song is actually a little too personal for me as this is a very recent story that happened to me,” Jain confesses. Breaking down the track further, Jain elucidates his source of inspiration: “It [the song] talks about absurdities and how absurd it is that when you’re trying not to fall in love, the universe ends up making you fall in love with that person.”

Jain, who dropped his first official single “Baarishein” in 2018, has been soothing listeners’ aching souls way before the track became India’s go-to monsoon single. While many kickstart their careers with covers, Jain found himself gravitating towards the power of stories, choosing to release self-written tracks on his YouTube channel. Over the past four years, he has forged a relationship with his craft rooted in authenticity, sincerity and consistency, helping millions express their emotions better. When words fail you, Jain’s nine-track discography is your saving grace, helping you connect with your emotions better.

In an exclusive chat with Rolling Stone India, the musician opens up about his artistry, the process of locking the perfect cover art, and why he hasn’t released an EP yet. 

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for you. How were your weeks leading up to the release? Were you nervous or excited? 

I was extremely nervous. Always, whenever I’m releasing a new song. Yeah, the thing is that for every song I write, it takes me about four months, at least to put it out, like with the music, video, cover art and obviously the final milestone. So obviously, there’s so much riding on it because, you know, you work on something for like four months, and then people just decide its fate in the next four minutes. So, I was evidently extremely nervous. But I’m glad that the release went well.

I’m surprised you were nervous because everything that you’ve put out so far has been well received by the audience.

Yeah, that’s true. But it still doesn’t stop me from being nervous, man. I’m actually glad that it happens because that means I haven’t become jaded yet. It still really means a lot to me, so I guess I just see the positive in it.

Can you walk me through your inspiration for the single incident inspired by an event in your life, something that you probably saw happening with people around you?

So, everything that I’ve written so far has been taken from my life. Literally every lyric, every sentence… everything has been taken from my life. So, that’s true for this song as well. The track is actually a little too personal for me. This is a very recent story that happened to me and that’s the inspiration behind the song. I’ve actually gone through this entire thing. The song is called “Mazaak” and it talks about absurdities; how absurd it is that when you’re trying not to fall in love, the universe ends up making you fall in love. And once it happens, you hope it’s not a mazaak… that it’s not a joke. That’s exactly what the song is about. I’ve literally gone through all these emotions myself, 

You mentioned that this song is inspired by a very recent event in your life. Did you start working on this song immediately, or did you take a couple of weeks to gather your thoughts and then work on the track?

It actually took me a couple of months. My songwriting process is extremely slow. I’ll be fixated on one word or one sentence for like four or five nights. I won’t sleep and I’ll go totally crazy about it. But when the songwriting process for “Mazaak” came to an end, I just knew that this is perfect, because this is exactly what I wanted it to be. 

Do you have a routine or structure attached to your songwriting process, or are you an artist who prefers writing as and when inspiration strikes?

It’s a mix of both. Sometimes, I’ll write or record on my phone whenever the inspiration comes to me, but there’s a certain level of structure behind it. I get lazy whenever I’m writing, so I’ll usually sit with my mom whenever I’m doing that [songwriting] and she’ll have a notebook in front of her, writing down everything I’m saying. I’ve released nine songs till now and for all of those songs, my mom was always sitting there. So that’s like one of those things that I have a structure for. But I prefer working in the morning, or sometimes I’m working at night – in that sense, I don’t really have a structure. I’ll start working on it [a song] whenever I can or whenever the inspiration strikes.

How open are you to criticism? It’s safe to say your mother is the first person to see your songs come to life. How do you usually take in feedback during your recording process?

My mom has a very good eye for these things, so she’ll just give me instant feedback. I love that! She understands my songwriting process, and when something is working and when it’s not. I just get instant feedback immediately through her expressions or verbally. I think I take criticism well. Obviously, it pinches when you’ve worked on something for like four nights. You know, I’m just excited at 3 am, thinking that I’ve cracked it. I’ll quickly run to my mom’s room where she’s probably sleeping, I’ll knock on the door and be like ‘Mom, please wake up. I think I’ve cracked this line.’ And she’ll be like, ‘I don’t think this works.’ It pinches. But then again, at the end of the day, we’re all doing this for the song, right? So the song needs to be beautiful. The underlying effort is not that important. So, even if it takes me a couple of more days, it’s fine, as long as the final product is up to the mark.

You have to walk me through the music video. It is such a wholesome piece of art; no matter how many times I watch it, it still feels fresh. Were you physically present during the shoot? What was your reaction when you first saw the entire music video?

I wasn’t physically present but someone from my team, her name is Madhura, was there. We’re literally like the same person! We worked on this concept together, so I trusted her completely. It was as if I was there. I was actually in Jaipur doing a show, but once I came back from it and was in the hotel, I was up the entire night with these guys. They sent me snippets and updates like ‘this location is done, that location is done.’ After a couple of days, when I finally saw the rough shots, dude, I literally had chills! I was so happy! The director, Vasudha, captured the emotions so well and that was very important because we can figure everything else out in editing. For example, storytelling. But if the shots are perfect and the way I wanted them to be, then I know that we have something on our hands, right? I went a little berzerk on the group and sent like 20 texts saying, ‘Oh my god, I love this,’ ‘Oh my god, they look so cute together’ and ‘Oh, this reminds me of my date with this person.’ Once the final product came out, I was extremely excited – even more so than before. 

What about the album artwork? Because I feel that with every release, there are two things that fans generally look forward to. One is obviously new music and the second is always the album artwork. How do you pick the perfect cover art to embody your releases?

With every artwork there’s a bit of a hiddenness. I’ll come up with a lot of references for it. There are certain moments in the song where I really wanted to be depicted in the artwork and just set the mood right. With this song [“Mazaak”], it was all about laughter and smiles, right? Like gaalo ke gaddhe, dimples and all those things. So I was like, ‘This is a very good opportunity, I want to do something that has the reference for dimples in it.’ Thereafter, I got in touch with this amazing artist, Anjali Kamat, and we started discussing ideas. I was like, ‘Dude, this girl [Anuv’s inspiration behind the track], whenever she smiles… there could be a sea of a thousand people and I would only see her.’ That’s what I wanted to depict in this artwork. And so she did that paper-cutting thingy with this tiny heart just to exaggerate that bit [ the girl’s smile] and the response was brilliant! Dude, people loved it! I have been seeing so many artists recreating it in their own way. I keep getting all these DMs saying, ‘Dude, I just like drew the artwork,’ and all of those things. It just makes me really happy that everybody liked it.

You are so honest with the way you approach your artistry, whether it be songwriting, the recording process or even having this conversation with you. You’re very clear with your thoughts. Have you always been this honest and open, or is this something that you know you made a conscious effort towards when you stepped into the industry?

I’ve always been a very reserved kid. I don’t really talk about my life a lot, honestly, and people don’t generally know what’s going on until I tell them. But when it comes to songwriting, I’ve always felt that if you are not giving it your all and if you’re trying to hide most of your life, then it doesn’t make sense. I can’t write that way. Like I said, I put a piece of myself in my music and if I’m doing that, it means a lot of my stories and a lot of my personal stories are going to be out there. But it is up to me how exactly I put them out. It can go completely wrong as well or you can do it in a very classy way. I think till now, I have been in the latter space where it seems nice, aesthetic and classy. You asked me whether it is a conscious effort. It’s not really a conscious effort. It comes very naturally to me, honestly. I just sit down and I decide my stories, man. Sometimes, they are too personal and it’s completely okay. It’s fine, it’s not a problem.

Do you see a very clear distinction between Anuv Jain the artist who we know you as and Anuv Jain, the person behind the camera?

Oh, yes! But I think the lines are blurring a bit now. I’m really glad that that’s happening. As I’ve said, I’m a very reserved guy. I am very quiet and I don’t like going out much. I don’t like traveling that much. Honestly, every time I’m out and away from my home for a couple of days, I start feeling homesick. So, that’s the kind of person I am. But I had promised myself a couple of years ago that if a good opportunity comes my way, I’m just gonna say ‘yes’ to it and that’s the artist’s bit. It’s got a lot to do with traveling the country; there’s a new show happening somewhere every day, going live in front of thousands of people and putting music out in front of millions of people. Anuv Jain the person would never do that. I’m moving towards the artist bit now. I think I’m becoming more confident and more outgoing in life. I’m so happy.

You started your career by uploading original work on YouTube and now you’re one of India’s most-loved indie artists. I’m pretty sure this journey has taught you many things, but what are some of the learnings that you’re most grateful for?

I think the one thing that I always talk about is decision-making. Earlier, I used to be very confused about the decisions that I was taking – I still am sometimes. But I’ve realized that nobody else is going to take these decisions for me. So, I need to make these decisions for myself. And if something goes wrong, I just backtrack a little bit. I can’t expect anybody else to do that for me. It’s a very simple concept, but the way I see it, it has really changed my life. It’s made things much quicker and clearer. I’ve started trusting myself with the kind of music that I put out now.

There’s a commercial aspect that’s attached to your music. Ultimately, it is generating some sort of income. Do you think that in some way this [monetary aspect] has influenced you or just made you super cautious about the decisions that you make, since  you wouldn’t want it to hamper you financially?

Yeah, of course, that’s one of the most important things and I’m really glad that you actually picked it up. The thing is, when we’re making music videos, our budgets are not that high. Like you said, we’re just doing music independently. Everything that I do comes out of my own pocket, there is no external person. I haven’t even gotten a sponsor on board for any of the videos. It’s literally been me paying for these videos. And even if it gets extended by a couple of hours or a day, I have to go over budget and pay extra. To avoid that, I have to be very clear when I go into all of these things [planning his releases] and the decision-making has to be on point. Sometimes, midway through a project, you might feel that something is probably not working out. But here’s the thing, once you’ve taken that decision, you have to understand that you have to stand by it, and can’t be backtracking. So you just have to trust yourself. That has definitely led me to understand this concept of decision-making better. 

Who are some of the people from the industry that you really trust or seek advice from? It’s very clear that you ultimately trust your instincts, but aside from yourself, is there anyone in the industry who you look up to?

I trust my management team a lot because we’ve been working together for two years now and whenever a song is coming out, I’ll ask for their honest opinion and they will give it to me. Whenever a video is out, they will give me their honest opinion… it’s the same with artwork. So, I do trust them. But apart from that, I genuinely don’t really talk to a lot of people from the industry. I have a set of friends who I’ve had for a lot of years, and they are the ones who I trust the most. So, whenever I’m writing a song, I’ll keep on sending them every few lines that I’ve written; I’ll just send them voice notes saying, ‘Guys, this is what it is,’ and these five or six people will just give me instant feedback. This really helps my songwriting process.

So far, I’ve picked on clear decision-making as an absolutely non-negotiable aspect of your artistry. Is there anything else that I may have missed out on?

I didn’t mention it, but discipline as well. The way I function is largely all about never being late. I have to be on time. Imagine, [for this interview] I was just a minute late because there was some technical issue going on and I felt so bad. I texted on the group saying, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m not on time.’ I would be the person who would want to be the first [at a place]. I feel that nobody else should have a problem because of me. If I’m working with the promoter for a show, I need to be on stage on time. Discipline has always been there in me, and that really helps because that is the business element. 

You definitely come across as an artist who’s very comfortable and confident with your sound, insights, and outlook on life. Is this how you view yourself to be? Someone who’s sorted in every department possible?

Not at all, but I’m getting better. That’s the point. Usually, we’re just freaking out, man. As sorted as I might sound right now, things always go wrong. It’s never the case where everything works properly and everything happens on time. We have delays, we have these videos that have just gone over budget as well – all of these things happen. But the thing is that, with every release – and I’ve just released nine songs so far, so it’s still very early for me – I feel that we [his team] are definitely getting better. Our processes are becoming more efficient, the songwriting is becoming better, and I think the number of people that we’ve been able to reach is more because of our marketing improving. I think that is a very positive sign. As long as you’re moving forward and upwards, that’s what’s important.

I’m pretty sure you must have received thousands of comments commending you on the comfort your art brings to your fans. Does audience perception influence you or your artistry in any way?

Yeah, it’s always there. You always need to maintain a balance. There are a lot of things that I want to do with my music. But at the same time, I have to understand that [even] if I’m working so hard on something, I am not the kind of person who’s making songs for himself. I am making songs for people, I want them to hear it – they are my clients… the final customers and consumers. So, I’m always thinking about them. Obviously, I’m not going to completely go commercial and try to reach the masses. I’m always going to have like these weird songwriting things where there are no lyrical repetitions, there’s probably no hook in the song, and [it’s] something that’s not normal for the masses. But at the same time, the way the melody will be and the way I’m singing will gel well with the masses. I’m just trying to find that balance. Sometimes, it’s swayed a little towards them [the audience] and sometimes, it’s swayed a little towards me. But on average, I’m just like finding that sweet spot. 

You’ve released nine singles so far. What’s holding you back from releasing an EP? 

Bro, I’m just a very slow songwriter. Honestly, there’s no other reason. I have so many ideas. I have so many songs in my bank. But it just takes me a really long time to work on them. Once I can turn into this guy who can probably write a song in a week or a day, maybe then I’ll look into an EP. But right now, I’m giving it my all for every single. Also, we literally release singles as if one were releasing albums; we promote the singles as releasing albums also because we know the value that every song holds. We literally try to bring out a package in front of people; the artwork is very unique, the music video has a full story, and the songwriting has no lyrical repetition. So, it’s a pretty big process. Hopefully, in the future, when I have things working a bit more efficiently, I would love to release an EP and eventually a full-length album. But for now, I think I’m gonna stick to singles. Let’s see how that works out.

Are you working towards a quicker turnaround time when it comes to songwriting?

Yes, I am and I think I have improved a bit. As long as the final product isn’t getting hampered and if I can write a song in a day and it comes out as the most beautiful song out there, I will release it. It’s not a problem. I’m not going to really ponder over it. I can see that there’s a slight improvement, but [I’m] not there yet. Whenever I talk to my contemporaries… I was actually sitting with a friend of mine yesterday – her name is Zoe Siddharth – and she was telling me that whenever she writes a song, she can like literally finish it in 15 to 20 minutes and honestly, her music is beautiful. So I was just like, ‘Bro, please, you have to teach me how to do this. I just did not figure this out.’ We had a good laugh about it. So, it’s actively there in my head. I’m working on it. Hopefully, I’ll get there soon, man. I’m enjoying the process. I don’t have to reach the final destination. I’m enjoying just making [songs] maybe a week less or two weeks less or something like that. I’m really happy that that happens.

Would you consider ‘enjoying the process’ as your biggest driving factor, or would you consider the bigger goals you’ve set for yourself as what drives you as a musician?

I have both of these in my life. I have these goals that I have set. If you ever come to my house, you’ll see that there’s this bulletin board. At the beginning of each year, I write down 10 pointers outlining where we have to be at the end of the year and I actually properly work towards that. I’m really, really strict about these things but at the same time, I really enjoy the process. Also, whenever a beautiful line comes out, I’ll literally celebrate with my mom, friends or my sister. Just the fact that I started performing in front of people… I used to be such a shy person. I met one of my teachers from school the other day and she was like, ‘Bacche, tum toh aath logo ke samne bhi nahi gaa pate the aur ab tum aath hazaar logo ke samne ga rahe ho.’ It felt so nice. I see the progress but I’m still not there yet. I need to improve my performances and make better sets. But I was just so happy to have enjoyed the process.

You have such a hands-on approach when it comes to your craft. How do you usually unwind or chill? Because it just seems like you’re taking on a lot. And I’m sure that takes up a lot of your time, too. But how do you usually relax?

I think I’m a nerd [laughs]. I’ll just watch a lot of anime and sometimes read manga. I love watching science-focused videos… I’m literally trying to find the answers to the universe on YouTube every night. I love watching movies too; that’s my number one thing. Also, I haven’t really told this to a lot of people and I usually like to keep it to myself, because I don’t know how people will take it, but I love watching other people play games. For some reason, it just gives me a lot of comfort knowing that I don’t have to play a game, like somebody else is playing a video game and I’m just watching them do it. It just gives me a lot of comfort. So yeah, these are the things that I usually do. I love playing sports. I go to the gym as well. I’ve always played sports like tennis and I’ve skated. I have played football my entire life. So, that’s also something that I do like very, very often just to unwind.

What are some of your favorite anime and films? Tell me something that you’ve watched in the past month or so.

Okay, so this movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0 just came out and I was really surprised that it was playing in theaters in India. I watched it and I love that anime. I love One Punch Man. I’ve been watching Rick and Morty, even though that’s not really anime. I’m just gonna say the most clichéd thing ever, I love Death Note. I love all these animes. With movies, I have this one film for whenever somebody asks me what my favorite movie is, and It’s Before Sunrise. It’s one of the most beautiful movies you’ll ever come across. It’s brilliant. I’m not even much of a romantic-movie sort of person, but this movie is just brilliant, dude! Everybody needs to watch it!

I took note of the fact that you follow V and Jung Kook from BTS. Are you a casual K-pop listener?

I am a casual K-pop listener. I actually love their choreography. I’m not much of a dancer honestly… ‘I’m not much of a dancer’ is still an overstatement, I guess [laughs]. I’m terrible at it. But I just love their style. I love how they have created this fandom around them and how people are so invested in their music. It inspires me a lot to do the same. I’m also trying to build a very strong family around me. In fact, I don’t even like to call my audience, my fans. I literally avoid it all the time because I genuinely see them as my friends. Every time I meet them outside, that is how I will talk to them. I think BTS has done that really well, and at a very large scale, where so many millions of people are so heavily invested in their lives. I really want to replicate that in my life to a certain degree. So yeah, that’s the reason why I follow them.

Have you started populating your bulletin board with plans or goals for the next year? I mean, this year is going to come to an end in the next three months?

No, that’s going to happen in January or December end. I think I should have that entire thing by January 2nd, at the latest. 

Can you give us a rough look at some of the ideas or goals you’d like to fulfill next year? 

The first thing is always going to be the number of singles that I want to release. So it’ll be like, ‘Okay, I am going to release at least three or four songs.’ Then it will be like, ‘Okay, I have to improve my guitar skills.’ I have to start taking classes… so I’ve started doing that. Eventually, there are a lot of numbers. I’m a numbers guy. So okay, ‘We have to literally double the number of streams that we are getting.’ I won’t get into the specifics, because there are like 10 to 20 points, but it’s all about numbers, growth, learning to become a better musician and making my shows better so that people enjoy them more. 

Is there anything else that you’d want to tell me? Something that I may have missed out on?

Can I just like leave a message for the audience?

Yes, definitely!

I hope that you guys enjoyed the interview. I just want to say that I just released a song called “Mazaak.” It’s my ninth single and I’ve put my entire heart, body, soul, sweat… everything into it. So please, if you guys come across this interview, please listen to it. If you like it, please share it with the world and share it with everyone you know,