Kerala’s Benhurmusic Celebrate Youthful Hope on Folksy New Track ‘Flower Child’

Rounding up their three-track debut EP Benhur, Kochi-based duo Benhurmusic released a stirring new song called “Flower Child” to coincide with Children’s Day in India last week. The song and music video also supports non-profit organization Share A Book India Association, tagging on a message of hope for children in need.

Sonically, their fifth release this year shines the spotlight on singer-songwriter Amal Jose’s deep, baritone vocals as well as subtle guitar tapping melodies from Vishnu Das. With the duo taking on production duties themselves, they enlisted bassist Akhilesh Subramanian plus Glasgow violinist Graham Rorie and Israeli cello player Yoed Nir to comprise a heartfelt string section (“from Irish to operatic,” as Jose terms it) on “Flower Child.” Jose adds that he got on music production marketplace SoundBetter to look for collaborators for the new song. “I really think right now is a great time for artists to do more global collaborations as we are given the chance on pitching, even to the big names.”

The video — shot by filmmaker Vimal Jose (also Amal’s brother) — shows Benhurmusic in a classroom on Children’s Day, perhaps invited as special musical performers. “We’ve tried to bring in the same elements as the sound. You’ll notice that even though the video is one-shot mostly, the subtle movements with the transitions in music makes for more effective storytelling,” the singer-songwriter says. 

With the debut EP out on all platforms, Jose says Benhurmusic are now working on a bigger collection of songs. He adds, “Vishnu and I have started working on our new album and we are releasing it next year. We’re also planning for tours hopefully.” 

Watch the video for “Flower Child” below.