Shikhar Releases Refreshing Debut Single ‘Moonbrain’

Singer-songwriter Shikhar Chaudhary – who goes by his first name – opens up wholeheartedly and tells us that while growing up in Bhopal, he always felt that he never belonged anywhere. He says, “I’d say I grew up in my bedroom, because honestly that’s where I was all the time.” Having found solace playing the guitar, Shikhar found himself exposed to punk-rock music as well as artists such as Jeff Buckley, Steven Wilson, Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Joni Mitchell, apart from Indian musicians who include Rohit Lalwani and Tejas. He says, “I don’t think I’d be doing what I do if it weren’t for all these artists. Nobody ever told me that you could write like that, and once I started writing there was no going back.”

Now, Shikhar is out with his impressive debut single titled “Moonbrain.” He says that the track took a while to write, adding, “It’s a song about growing up alienated to every place you’re supposed to call ‘home’ but where you instead felt like a total stranger. And that’s truly how I’ve felt, never feeling like I truly belonged to a place or that I fit in anywhere.” The song oozes with bright acoustic guitar work, snappy production, a tight bass and drum groove as well as Shikhar’s outstanding vocals.

The singer-songwriter worked with Bhopal-based producer Aman Arakh on the track, while bassist Soorya Praveen (from Bengaluru neo-soul/hip-hop band T.ill Apes) and drummer Gaurav Khanna (from Throw Some Shapes) also played on the song.

“Moonbrain” is also the title track of Shikhar’s forthcoming debut EP. Talking about what folks can expect from the record, the artist says, “It is the most personal diary entry ever, it’s entirely about living inside your head for so long and dealing with issues that are more internal than anything else.” He adds, “There is a lot of diversity in the sound of the EP, with some of the songs borrowing heavily from Eighties virtuosic riff culture, and some functioning parallel to the sounds of 2000s rock. Despite all of this, the thread that ties it all together is the modernity of the approach and the way it was written.” With a music video as well as a tour in the pipeline, Shikhar says, “I’d also like to add that it’s not all the music I have for this year, there’s more.”

Stream “Moonbrain” on Spotify below and on other platforms.