Singer-Songwriter Shriya Drops Soothing ‘On My Mind’ Video

It might seem amusing that a Mumbai-based artist is singing about how it’s “cold outside” and makes a reference to American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer in her song, but that’s just how accessible singer-songwriter Shriya Rao makes her music.

With the release of her latest song “On My Mind” via Sony Music India’s sub-label Day One, Rao points to how that particular Bobby Fischer lyric came from her obsession with the (very American) show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. “There’s a scene where the cast got into a really heated argument and one of them said to the other, ‘Being in a friendship with you is like playing chess with Bobby Fischer.’ And I thought that’s an interesting analogy, something I could take inspiration from in my next song,” the artist says.

A singer since childhood who has been in vocal training since the age of 11 at True School of Music (where she met Mumbai artist Yohan Marshall, the producer on “On My Mind”) and performing in musicals like Wicked by the age of 12, Rao’s latest song has been picked up by editorial playlists on streaming platforms and of course, has the backing of Day One. Her third single after releases like “Tell Me” and “Dreaming,” there’s a radio-friendly pop flair on “On My Mind” that gives it space among any playlist out there.

While Day One has worked with everyone from producer Pina Colada Blues to pop artist Kasyap, Rao was put in touch with the label for a meeting by a friend. She was super nervous (because she’d never met with a label before) but says it was a “lot less intimidating than it sounds.” Rao adds, “They were super sweet and made me feel so comfortable. That whole meeting, we just listened to all the demos that I’d put together in the last two years, and their words were nothing but encouraging. As I was leaving the meeting, the A&R said to me, ‘You’ve got what to takes. I’d love to discuss a collaboration between DayOne and yourself.’ I was gobsmacked and had a wide smile plastered on my face the whole ride back home.”

She even got to direct the music video for “On My Mind,” which sees her and a male protagonist (portrayed by Raunak Upadhyay) pair up to the soothing yet emotion-driven song. Inspired by the likes of Taylor Swift to direct her own videos, Rao also points to performing in Wicked and then seeing the musical live in London. “I kept thinking to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be crazy if I directed a video or play someday?’”

The release has come at the start of the year, which allows Rao to tell us that she really sees her dreams coming true in 2024. She adds, “I’m planning on dropping my debut album towards the latter half, but we’ve been in the process since the last 2022! I’m also keen on performing my originals live. There are some sick venues in Mumbai which I’ll be performing in very soon. To sum it up, lots of new music, ads, live sets and even movies!”

Watch the video for “On My Mind” below. Stream the song here.