Premiere: Delhi NCR Singer-Songwriter Piya Podder’s Mournful Ballad ‘Tornado’

Singer-songwriter Piya Podder launches her poignant piano-led debut single “Tornado” this week. The release follows collaborations with rising New Delhi artists such as The Earflower Experiment and multi-instrumentalist producer Barun Sinha (from rock band SkyEyes), with the latter producing “Tornado.” The accompanying video — shot on phone and edited together with stock footage from around the globe — sums up a portrait of distress and mental health struggles owing to the pandemic. 

Podder says in a statement, “Overthinking has always been an issue for me. However, when the pandemic hit and we were locked in our houses, did I truly understand how destructive and mentally draining it can get, especially when you have nothing to distract yourself with. ‘Tornado’ is my attempt to explain just that. The chaos behind a mind that doesn’t stop thinking or worrying,”

Over her low yet nimble croon — sometimes reminiscent of the late Dolores O’Riordan from Irish rock band The Cranberries — Podder addresses feelings of loneliness and frustration. Aided by Sinha’s ace string arrangements, Podder says the song “ends with the protagonist giving in to her mind and talking about a sense of comfort and familiarity that comes after.”  

Watch the video for “Tornado” below. Stream on more platforms here.