Exclusive Premiere: Chennai’s Nitika Kurian Soothes with New Single ‘Blue’

As someone who grew up around oceans and seas in Goa, Puducherry and Chennai, R&B artist Nitika Kurian says in a fairly straightforward manner that she’s thought of herself as an “Indian Moana,” referring to the Disney movie. “Just talking to the ocean whenever I used to go, [I] always felt this strange connect with the sea,” the 19-year-old says.

On her latest single “Blue,” she proudly claims this affinity to the water. On the silken, slow-groove track, she sings in her distinctive voice, “You can tell by her flow she’s the ocean’s daughter.” Kurian adds, “I just wanted to create something where you could sit by the ocean and listen to it and you’d feel it. And I felt like I could create the environment of the ocean through the song.”

Written in October last year, “Blue” features guitarist Keba Jeremiah (a regular with music composing legend A.R. Rahman and singer-producer Sid Sriram, amongst others) and producer-bassist Michael Timothy, who also worked on Kurian’s debut single “Phoenix.” The singer connected with Jeremiah when he was sitting in as a judge for a music competition. “I was absolutely fangirling over the fact that he was the judge and was going to listen to sing,” Kurian says. The guitarist asked if she wanted help with production or guitars and that was just around when “Blue” was being written. “I asked him whether he could do the guitars and was honestly very shocked when he said he would. He’s really brought the song to life along with Michael.”

While her first two singles are in a similar calming, carefree space, Kurian says the songs she’s saving for her upcoming EP “are actually very emotional and intense.” Understandably, the foreseeable future is “looking very curfewed” as the singer jokes, but she’s hopeful that artists will (and are) creating more in this period of self-quarantine. Kurian adds, “I hope several ‘Quarantunes’ come out of this time we have.”

Stream “Blue” below. Pre-save the song here.