The Chennai-raised singer-songwriter changes up her R&B style for more pop grooves with the producer on board
Nitika Kurian (right) with producer honeymoonhenny aka Harshan Radhakrishnan. Photo: Natasha Thomas
On her first single since 2020, Chennai’s Nitika Kurian chides a lover for not seeing the signs of attraction on “Foolish,” a groovy pop/R&B collaboration with producer honeymoonhenny aka Harshan Radhakrishnan from indie rockers The F16s.
Between the release of her glossy single “Blue” and now, Kurian moved out of Chennai to Bengaluru late last year and notched up gigs in the city, collaborated on a song called “Right?” and opened for the likes of pop-rock band The Yellow Diary and stand-up comedian Vir Das. Although the unprofessional conduct of an event series cost her a performing slot, Kurian was more focused on trying to put “Foolish” out, a song she wrote back in 2021 with an acoustic arrangement and premiered live at her set opening for Das. “It is, according to me, and according to Harshan, the best work that I’ve done,” the artist says.
Known for her R&B styles, “Foolish” is lifted into more groovy pop terrain thanks to its production, while the singer-songwriter scales the high notes and sugary vocal melodies alike. “I’m not used to synths and things like that, but Harshan and The F16s… their vibe is that. It was really new for me, but I really enjoyed it,” she says. During production, Kurian says she came in with the thought of having live instrumentalists on the track, but honeymoonhenny explained that they could do it all in-studio. “Foolish” features guitarist Akash Ravindran and backing vocals shared by Kurian and Radhakrishnan. She says, “It was nice to be exposed to that side of music, because I don’t think I’d ever seen it before. I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is insane.’”
The song is just Kurian’s third single, but it comes at a time when the artist – also an architect – is figuring out bigger life plans, including moving to Milan for studies.
She jokes about how her mom keeps asking about a seven-song EP that the artist mentioned in an interview would release soon, but that was three years ago. “She’s like, ‘Where is it?’ So I’m not gonna say anything,” Kurian says. In the meantime, before heading off to Italy, Kurian says she and honeymoonhenny might hit the stage together to perform “Foolish,” hoping to jump in on one of the producer’s DJ sets.
Listen to “Foolish” below. Stream on more platforms here.
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