Kiara Chettri Returns with Angsty New Single ‘What We Could Be’

Last year, New Delhi singer-songwriter Kiara Chettri followed up her 2020 10-track album 4AM with two singles, “Why” and “Falling.” Since then, the musician has spent time writing new material while also focusing on her 12th-grade board exams. Now, Chettri is out with her newest offering, the pop-punk track “What We Could Be.” She says, “The day I came up with the melody for ‘What We Could Be,’ I immediately knew that I wanted this song to be my next single.” 

The new song includes crunchy distorted guitars, punchy drums, Chettri’s unyielding vocals and more. “What We Could Be” follows the story of a girl in love with a boy, and although the boy reciprocates with small deeds, when asked, he denies his feelings. The singer-songwriter says, “The girl gets frustrated and is bottled up with teen angst. I wanted the production to match the lyrics and knew that I wanted this to be a loud and energetic song.” She adds, “Teen angst is something very tough to capture in lyrics and music – it’s something that I have tried for the first time and the experience was incredible.”  

Chettri informs us that initially, this song was meant to be a mellow piano track. However, after she teamed up with New Delhi/New York producer Rohan Solomon, the song took on a whole new persona. With Solomon’s advice, Chettri used live drums for the first time, played by stick smith Abhijit Sood. “‘What We Could Be’ needed a lot of time and conceptualization for it to come out the way it has, and a huge part of that is all thanks to Rohan who really connected and understood the song and its composition on another level,” says Chettri. She adds, “There was so much energy required throughout the song and it honestly physically drained me, but that’s why I love it so much, because I know how much effort it took from my voice and I am super proud that I could deliver it the way I wanted to.” 

In a couple of months, Chettri is set to depart for London to study music. With new songs in her locker, the singer-songwriter is already looking ahead at releasing more material. “The more I am growing older, my music is definitely maturing with me, almost like a best friend. I am excited to release what I have in store for all my listeners and supporters,” she says.  

Stream “What We Could Be” on Spotify below and on other platforms.