Priyanka Nath Glams Up In ‘Reckless’ Video

After releasing four singles last year, Hyderabad-based singer-songwriter Priyanka Nath is now out with a brand new offering this year in the shape of the soulful pop number “Reckless.” The song is also accompanied by a glittering music video and in this interview with Rolling Stone India, Nath talks to us about putting the clip together, how the song came about, future plans and more. Read below.

When did you write “Reckless”?

‘Reckless’ began writing itself in July 2020. During the lockdown period, I began contemplating all the things gone by; I put myself in imaginary situations and even delved into an introspective mode within the quietness of four walls and went on to write ‘Reckless.’

What can you tell me about the song itself?

I had been through a very new experience in life. And being an amateur in that sense, I did not know what I was getting myself into. But the good feeling kept me going back to it. Over the years I have realized that going back to that good feeling may be rewarding immediately, but unhealthy in the longer run. I remember having this talk with my friend where he said to me to quit it before it would start hurting me. But I didn’t. I was being reckless with my decisions and had shut my ears to all things practical. Until I ended up being what my friend saw coming; hurt. I jotted a few lines down when all was fresh. The lyrics do boast of self-introspection and realizations from one’s past. Writing

The feel of the song was in tandem with the introspective outlook of the lyrics: cool, not remorseful or happy, but being in a sort of a middle ground. It’s ambient and spacey to a point where it feels like your mind could be floating in a bunch of clouds while listening to it. The trap-like beats and ambient sounds capture the flowy way the lyrics had been written and also my mood; slightly perplexed while being in a state of calm.

What was the recording and production process like for the song?

‘Reckless’ had been in the production stage for a hot minute starting in early 2022. It was different from anything I’d written before that so during the recording process, it did take a few tries to warm my voice to its flow and get the pronunciations right. (Hyderabad singer-songwriter) Sidharth Bendi provided his backing vocals in the bridge of the song and I feel like the voice of a male singer complimented the harmonies extremely well.

My producer Kaali deserves all the credit for elevating ‘Reckless’ with his music. Not only did he capture the essence of the song, but with his dark yet ambient-trap sound, he did complete justice to the feelings that birthed ‘Reckless.’ Pritpal Sudan has been essential in delivering a clean mix and master. I remember when I heard the first demo in early 2022, I instantly knew that this song was going to mark a new phase for me.

Tell me about the video and your experience putting it together.

This was one hell of an experience, professionally and personally. In March 2022, I wrote the initial draft of the music video script. What surprised me the most during this process was that during desperate times, when I had to reach out to random folks on Instagram, say, for a swimming pool or a projector, people really came through! The shoot officially began in September 2022, and in total, we had about five or six days of shoot. It was my first time shooting with a professional RED camera and only now have I realized the effort and time that goes into shooting even one shot with big equipment. There were parts where we had to sing the lyrics at twice the speed just so that the output could be in slow motion! The swimming pool sequence had to be the most challenging for me. I got a custom-made outfit for the shoot, shot on a helipad and the idea was to majorly have a lot of glam in the video and choreography. Having been a dancer since the age of 6, I had only known dance and music and being on stage; I felt a compulsion as a performer to showcase this to my audience. The entire process of selecting a male actor was fun but time-consuming. It took us a while before we finally landed on Kayvee (Hyderabad-based DJ). I was very happy because I remember being extremely particular about how my male co-actor would look on-screen. Kayvee definitely did justice to his role.

Personally, the journey taught me a lot of patience. I had to learn how to handle very new and challenging situations, and even my feelings because things wouldn’t always go the way we’d planned. This music video has been partially funded through a crowdfunding campaign, all thanks to the team of Original Dog.

What’s next?

Potentially the darkest song I have written so far. I can’t wait for my audience to witness the next release on streaming platforms and live. With ‘Reckless,’ I gave you a glimpse of what I intend to bring on stage as an artist, especially with my ‘Exclusive Dance Performance Video.’ I hope to take this live soon and truly start unfolding what I as an artist stand for and am capable of.

Watch the music video for “Reckless” below: