Hear Kay’s Poignant New Single ‘Leaving For Good’
The New York-based artist worked with Mumbai engineer Joash Benedict on the track
Mumbai/New York singer-songwriter Kanishka Lohar aka Kay. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Due to her father’s job in the police force, Mumbai/New York singer-songwriter Kanishka Lohar aka Kay moved around quite a bit till she was about eight. “My family decided to establish roots in Mumbai and that is essentially where I grew up,” she says. Growing up on her folks’ love for music and their passion for old Hindi songs, the singer adds, “For as long as I can remember, music has always been a part of our lives.”
A law graduate currently based in New York, Kay has previously released two singles: the moody “With You” (2021) and the club-friendly “Majestic” (2022) in collaboration with producer JACQVILS. The artist says, “Both these songs taught me the articulation of song-making and how diverse this process is.” Now, the singer is out with her latest offering, the hauntingly beautiful “Leaving For Good,” which was released earlier this month.
Although Kay began working on “Leaving For Good” while she was in the process of moving to the U.S., she admits that the song drifted towards the theme of a breakup. “It was not uninspired. I am a firm believer of delivery through art,” she says. The vocalist adds, “It’s [about] experiencing the loss of a friendship through the loss of a relationship. There is also a latent understanding in the song that as you age, you realize that love is not perfect.”
“Leaving For Good” opens with delicate piano chords followed by a steady drum pattern before Kay’s wistful vocals come to the fore. The slow-paced song also includes beautiful harmonies, minimal production embellishments, and sincere overall delivery. Kay worked with Mumbai recording engineer Joash Benedict at his Eggs Benedict Studios. Talking about the process of putting the song together, she says, “Recording took about two weeks and production took another two. We were ready with the song within a month. Joash helped me make the song exactly as I dreamt it to be.”
Kay has no intentions of slowing down when it comes to new material. Her plan is to release three more singles by the end of 2022. The artist is even venturing into working on Hindi songs. A track entitled “Na Tune Kaha” written by poet Manhar Seth is in the pipeline, as well as another called “Mein Jaau Kaha,” penned by Kay herself. “This is a new space for me to explore and reach an audience I have been wanting to get more in touch with,” she says.
Stream “Leaving For Good” on Spotify below and on other platforms.
