JioSaavn Spotted Punjabi Winner Akash Gautam Eyes Bollywood Foray

With his latest Punjabi song “Ki Kene,” Mumbai-based pop artist Akash Gautam created a refreshing offering as part of talent hunt JioSaavn Spotted. The affable song, produced by Nabil Zubair, clinched the winning spot and the most number of streams (over 4,400 plays) in the Punjabi bracket of JioSaavn Spotted, giving a renewed push to Gautam’s music aspirations.

Born and raised in New Delhi, Gautam began singing when he was fie years old. “While I was untrained, I chose every opportunity available to me to build on my singing abilities,” he says. The singer founded a rock band called Barefoot in 2010. “We sang songs about social issues at [New Delhi’s public location] Jantar Mantar on a regular basis,” Gautam adds. By 2014, however, Gautam began focusing on more commercial channels of music to become a professional in the industry, moving to Mumbai.

While the work to make it in Bollywood music is underway, Gautam continues to release music, exploring multiple genres. “I fall in love with every genre I explore, I start experimenting with every song that I work on to see what would elevate the sound and in turn, the experience,” the composer and producer says. Training with musicians such as Nikhil Kumar and counting vocalist Himanshu Joshi (from fusion veterans Indian Ocean) as a mentor, Gautam also took one step further as a songwriter with a diploma in Urdu. “To further hone my skills, I have also studied music production and Western music,” he adds.

All of the experience comes to the front on “Ki Kene,” which Gautam submitted for consideration at JioSaavn Spotted. He says, “I was a little nervous about the competition but I was still hopeful since this was such a great opportunity for the winner to showcase their talent to the world.”

Up next, the artist says he’s working on a “wide range of music.” Gautam adds, “I intend to create music for every genre. If all goes well, I hope to foray into Bollywood music soon.”

Listen to “Ki Kene” here.