Pragnya Wakhlu Presents Peek at New Album with Jazzy Lead Single ‘Fallin’’

After releasing her highly acclaimed Kashmiri themed sophomore record Kahwa Speaks in 2017, New Delhi singer-songwriter Pragnya Wakhlu kept herself quite busy. The musician picked up a Radio City Freedom Award for the album, played gigs across the U.S. and Hong Kong, penned a song called “I Belong” for not for profit agency RESQ to help in the adoption of stray animals and also hosted a show with Doordarshan Kashmir highlighting poets and their influences from the region.

Now, Wakhlu is back with the first glimpse from her forthcoming third album, Lessons in Love, in the shape of the jazz-leaning lead single “Fallin’.”

The new song was written by Wakhlu in 2017, although at the time she was apprehensive about singing it, let alone having it on a record. “It felt like I was reading my diary out to people,” she says. Wakhlu admits that this is the first time she’s singing about love. The musician adds, “Initially I was not sure if I was comfortable with baring my heart open to strangers. But then I realized that when you are open about singing about emotions that make you feel vulnerable, it also shows people your authenticity.”

According to the singer-songwriter, “Fallin’” is about loving a person who is in love with someone else. The sonic approach to the song complements the theme of it quite well. The track which is a delicate ballad includes a beautiful keyboard arrangement from Rythem Bansal, spine-tingling saxophone parts by Abhay Sharma, light percussion and drum work by Naren Chhetri, a splendid bass groove by Sonic Shori as well as Wakhlu’s acoustic guitar plucking and mellifluous vocals. Drums, guitar and saxophone were tracked at New Delhi’s Kintsugi Studios while the rest of the song was recorded at home studios. “Fallin’” has been mixed and mastered by Indo-American prog-rockers Skyharbor’s guitarist Keshav Dhar at Illusion Audio. “Keshav is a magician at what he does,” says Wakhlu.

Going by the sonic imprint of “Fallin’,” we can expect more jazz and funk tunes from Lessons in Love. Wakhlu has also been inspired by whale sounds and tells us that the visuals to the record have an aquatic theme and that there’s even a track called “Whale Song,” which will feature on the album. On what more we can look forward to from the album, Wakhlu says, “This album is about taking a deep dive into emotions that lie deeper under the surface and exploring those and being comfortable doing so.”

In lockdown Wakhlu has been reading up on music marketing, performing on live streams, practicing a bunch and even recording vocals for other artists. The musician also edited the DIY crowdsourced music video for “Fallin’.” She says, “It feels like lockdown has been busier but it has been a creative time.”

Watch the DIY crowdsourced video for “Fallin'” below and click here to stream the song.