Huyana Hits All the Right Notes On R&B-Laced Debut EP ‘Anxious Attachment’

Last month, Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter Varshita Ramesh aka Huyana released the R&B/soul leaning lead single, “Can’t Fall / Won’t Fall,” off her debut EP Anxious Attachment. Now, Ramesh is out with the full four-track record, and she says, “All four songs were written when I was between 19 and 22, I turn 25 in September [and] I finally reached a point in November 2022 when I decided they had evolved enough and were now ready to be recorded and released.”

For Anxious Attachment, Ramesh tapped Bengaluru artist Derek Mathias from jazz outfit Derek & The Cats to produce the EP. With this being Ramesh’s debut EP, it was also Mathias’ first time in the producer’s chair for an artist other than himself. “Derek and I made every single decision together, and there was a lot of trust – not just between us, but also amongst all the other musicians on this record,” says Ramesh. She adds, “I think the entire process of recording and production was very smooth and well-planned. We met all deadlines while ensuring there was breathing space and next to no creative burnouts.”

Anxious Attachment opens with “Can’t Fall / Won’t Fall” before we hear the moving “If Only.” The EP’s penultimate song is the emotional ballad “Breezy” before the record closes with the stirring “Crush.” Talking about the songs, Ramesh says, “It’s almost like it traces a journey of being delusional in love, in denial, acceptance and awareness of how much you’ve surrendered to the other person… It’s exactly how you would treat relationships when you’re younger and not wiser or you’re someone who just has the anxious attachment style.”

Sonically, the EP plays to Ramesh’s strengths with plenty of her R&B, jazz and blues influences creeping in while there’s even pop, Gospel and country soundscapes too. On her part, the singer delivers mellifluous vocals, catchy melodies as well as introspective lyrics “All the sounds are live and nostalgic. The decision to use live horns, synths, specific electric guitar tones all was based on wanting it to tug at heartstrings and remind people of things they have felt and are currently feeling,” says Ramesh.

The singer-songwriter is currently on her four-city ‘Kind-Of-A-Tour’ which includes seven dates. With shows at Bengaluru’s The Raft and a set in Kochi as part of global music community Sofar Sounds already done, Ramesh will now be heading to Mumbai where she will be hosting a listening session for her EP on July 14th at Headphone Zone, followed by a secret set on July 15th, after which she’ll play a ticketed gig at Harkat Studios on the 16th. On July 21st she travels to Chennai for a show at Bay 146 before wrapping up the tour back in Bengaluru with another secret gig on July 29th. “Through this tour, we get to play the songs on the EP in so many different ways – acoustic, with a large band, and even a stripped-down set-up. It’s great, and very exciting and a lot of work,” says Ramesh.

These sets of shows will be some of the last gigs Ramesh plays in India for a while before she leaves for Rotterdam in August to pursue a Masters’s in Songwriting at Codarts University. The artist says, “I’ve decided that I need to take some time off work, go back to being a student and spend the next two years practicing and up-skilling before moving on to the next phase of my career.”

Looking ahead, Ramesh is keen on putting together her full-length debut album, although she says she needs some time after working on Anxious Attachment. “I definitely need to spend some time just writing for fun. There might be a single or two more coming out this year though, you never know,” she says.

Stream ‘Anxious Attachment’ on Spotify below and on other platforms. Click here for more details on Huyana’s ‘Kind-Of-A-Tour.’