Shraddha Sharma and Nikhil Swaroop’s ‘Azal’ is an Endearing Tale of Childhood Love

Singer-songwriters Shraddha Sharma and Nikhil Swaroop recently dropped a new collaborative single, the balmy acoustic track “Azal.” Meaning “for eternity,” the roots of the song lie in a guitar riff composed by Swaroop who wrote the song as a reminder of his first childhood love. The track is accompanied by an endearing music video that portrays the innocence of connection between a boy and a girl as they pass letters and gifts to each other.

The collaboration was a happy coincidence as Sharma turned “fan at first sight” after listening to Swaroop’s gentle ballad “Sitaaron Ka Saaya” which released last year. Swaroop, in turn, had finished writing and composing “Azal” and was looking for a vocalist whom he found in Sharma. They then brought New Delhi guitarist-producer Keshav Dhar on board whose arrangement of the song takes listeners through a journey of emotions, going from gentle to all-consuming as the harp, violin, drums and tambourine join the humble guitar to tell the story of a boy and girl. The result was “Azal.”

The music video for the track is particularly steeped in storytelling as we follow the journeys of the kids (played by actors Shiv Advitya Kaul and Victoria Ann Joy) navigating the rushes of their first love. About the tale in “Azal,” Sharma says, “It’s actually a true story from when Nikhil (Swaroop) fell in love with a girl from school when he was about 11 years old. They used to hide and meet, but could never properly confess their feelings to each other, so [they] sent each other gifts.” The clip, filmed across various locations in Delhi NCR, captures the nostalgia of a time gone by and the earnestness of a childhood first. Swaroop and Sharma wanted listeners to take a trip down memory lane with the track. “Azal is about that love which stays with us forever,” she says. 

On their creative process as collaborators, Sharma says, “I had to tap into that zone of sadness when I sang the lyrics as each verse tells a different story. I started with a lower register and gradually powered my way into the choruses, putting across my emotions. Nikhil (Swaroop) wanted to keep his parts raw and simple with a storyteller/singer-songwriter vibe to it.”

Up next for both Sharma and Swaroop are more original singles and collaborations with other artists. After almost a year and a half of the pandemic, both musicians have further tuned into their definitions of themselves as artists and they hope to keep evolving and inviting people along for the ride.

Watch the music video for “Azal” below: