Exclusive Premiere: Pune/Toronto Guitarist Siddharth Kota Blazes the Fretboard on ‘Flow’

It was only fitting that Pune-bred, Toronto-based guitarist and composer Siddharth Kota’s debut song is inspired by artistry in a very metaphysical way. The swirling, pensive instrumental track (right up until the end, where we hear joyous yet wordless vocal harmonies) aims to sum up the “journey of an artist.”

Kota, who started playing guitar in 2012 and became part of Pune bands such as Malang and Ephemeral since 2017, invokes the idea of creative struggles and blocks and how, eventually, ideas click and music bears fruit. “The state of flow is achieved when a person performing an activity is fully immersed in it with acute focus; the complete involvement in the activity provides immense enjoyment to the performer, thereby making them lose the sense of time. The artist, through their creative powers transcends the limits of time and is transported into a utopian world,” he adds in his statement about the song.

Starting out with a rough idea for the entire song, Kota passed it on to drummer Swojas Bilurkar, bassist Aditya Kamble and keyboardist Brian Fernandes for their inputs. “They modified the parts with their own creative voice,” Kota adds. Singers Pratik Jathan and Aditya create the final smattering of vocals heard at the end of “Flow,” which is mixed by Pune-based Nikhil David and mastered by U.K.-based Luke Martin.

The song is accompanied by a music video shot and edited by Tanmay Chavan, who also helms the trippy VFX seen at different points. A school friend of Kota, the members seen in the video booked a jam room, worked with a green screen and lighting to mesh it all together.

Up next, Kota has a three-track that’s currently being recorded. “It should probably be done by mid-2022, if everything goes well,” the guitarist and composer adds.

Watch the video for “Flow” below. Stream/buy here.