Shourya Malhotra Is ‘Still Breathing’ in Lush, Resilient New Song
The New Delhi singer-songwriter talks about the thematic thread that runs through songs from his upcoming album and his metalhead roots
New Delhi singer-songwriter Shourya Malhotra. Photo: Shekhar Sharma
The artwork for New Delhi singer-songwriter Shourya Malhotra’s new single “Still Breathing” shows an ornately drawn aged figure (somewhat resembling the bearded artist), holding a mug in one hand and an umbrella in another, headphones plugged into a tape deck. Illustrated by Siddharth Iyer, the figure dressed in robes has his eyes closed in a seemingly serene moment.
There’s an aesthetic choice that makes the artwork for the flittering, lush song “Still Breathing” fit in with this previous singles. “It’s a metaphor for where my journey is going,” Malhotra explains. While his 2023 single “Parts of Two” didn’t feature this figure, the artist says he and Iyer discussed giving each single a more detailed cover art. Malhotra disputes that there’s a resemblance, though. It goes much deeper than that in terms of meaning. “It’s a depiction of–I wouldn’t say me, even though the guy is bald and has a beard–maybe how my music trajectory is going,” he says. Later on, Malhotra muses that he may give the old, bearded figure a name at some point.
His fifth single ever since he put out “For Lost Memories” in 2022, Malhotra stays true to his confessional storytelling on “Still Breathing.” He intended it to be a “sad song, a little more morose and angry” but the outro takes listeners in a different direction, turning hopeful. “When I play this song live, the best way to introduce this song is that it’s about shit days and how you can’t get over the miseries of life. I wanted it to be an outlet for my anger and frustrations.”
He points out that the outro has an “almost-metal section” in the song that’s about the frustrations of life. It’s a nod to Malhotra’s metal leanings, being part of metal bands like Trigger in the past. “I’m primarily a metal vocalist, I still say that. That’s what I’m most proud of,” Malhotra adds.
Admittedly, you can’t immediately hear a metal influence in the kind of singer-songwriter tunes that Malhotra has put out – even in the heavy sections – but the artist says his choice of time signatures and progressions are often guided by metal. Malhotra is helped on that journey on “Still Breathing” by guitarist Elijah Peter, bassist-producer Varun Rajput (from rock band Antariksh), keyboardist Akhil Garg and drummer Arko Ganguly. Malhotra adds about his collaborators, “Elijah and Akhil play with me live – they contribute to the songwriting as well. They put the skin on the skeleton of the song. Varun has worked with me on previous releases, I’ve known him for 10-plus years. He’s produced the song.”
Calling it one of the most important songs, “Still Breathing” marks Malhotra’s first release of the year. While his previous single “Parts of Two” was his only release in 2023, he intends to change his output in 2024. Another single (“I’ve deliberately tried to make a happy song,” Malhotra says) will release in June, with the five singles so far becoming part of a nine-track album slated to be out by November. “There’s a lot of planning and marketing going into this. The toughest part is content creation,” Malhotra says.
There’s a bit to be desired of New Delhi’s indie music circuit in terms of gigs, but Malhotra says he’s regularly pitching for shows and music festivals in India and in the U.S., where his largest listening audience is based. Malhotra says, “When I made the decision of making English music, I didn’t want to restrict myself to listening audiences in India, but all the countries. That’s in the pipeline.”
Listen to “Still Breathing” below.
