Exclusive Stream: Kochi Singer-Songwriter Vishnu Varma’s Sprawling Rock Song ‘In The Dark’

When it comes to transitioning from a well-paying day job into the often unpredictable world of composing music full-time, Indian youth’s parents have regularly been found sitting on the fence about approval. In the case of Kochi-based composer and singer-songwriter Vishnu Varma, however, it was his father who brought up the fact that music should be his real job instead of his erstwhile gig at an I.T. company.

Varma says his family may have a background in the legal field, but they’ve always been “ardent art lovers.” He adds that he was encouraged right from adolescence, when he began to build his songwriting skills. “There is always lots of excitement in my family when a new song or show comes up,” he says.

While Varma found footing in the South Indian film music world at first, he also released his debut Hindi song “Kahi Na Kahi” in 2016. Also written around the same time was an emotive, lush English track called “In The Dark,” which you can hear exclusively below, before its streaming release on April 9th. The self-taught musician says, “Past few years I have been trying to find myself as a musician and I guess the first phase of that search is over.”

Admittedly, Varma says the reason for putting off releasing his own music was due to focusing on film composing work. “I was neglecting the singer within me,” Varma says. Leading with vocals, Varma also crafts wistful alt-rock guitar melodies which wail and roar as the song weaves in nimble basslines and stargazing keys. In his final flourish, Varma builds up the angst, digging into fist-tight riffage as he sings about how memories from the past can often pull us “back into the dark.”

There’s three more solo songs coming up this year from Varma, including a duet called “Beautiful Creature” featuring Kochi-based singer Zeba Tommy. “Meanwhile I am also doing background score for a web series and composing the score for two South Indian feature films,” he adds.

Listen to “In The Dark” below. The song is out on streaming platforms on April 9th.