Singer-Songwriter Akshay Nandakumar Opines on Lockdown Life in ‘Ye Waqt’ Video

Over a summery, jazz-inflected guitar line, singer-songwriter Akshay Nandakumar offers his new song “Ye Waqt” as a reflection on the passage of time during the pandemic.

The New Delhi artist is joined by guitarist Pranav Pahwa and turned to Vipin Sharma to helm production duties, resulting in swaying, lo-fi pop elements which get swept into subtle string arrangements. All of this goes over Nandakumar’s airy vocals for the Hindi song, which wraps up in under three minutes.

Nandakumar says in a statement that the song was written “in response to fatigue of going through the same routines of the ‘stay at home’ lifestyle.” He adds, “[I] feel fortunate to be healthy, but much of what I learnt about ‘being human’ was taken away in an instant. The song captures my frustration of not being able to break out of the constant feeling of uncertainty.”

In the music video created by filmmaker Nimish Jha, “Ye Waqt” highlights a heightened sense of loneliness and isolation, showing empty urban spaces at day and night, timelapse footage of clouds and more, as Nandakumar “searches for a little bit of hope.”

Nandakumar, a trained Carnatic vocalist who also took part in musicals growing up, previously released his debut EP Hitchhiker in 2014 and a second record called Simple Things in 2018, which was crowdfunded. The artist notes that “Ye Waqt” is the first of a series of single releases written during the pandemic. “Hopefully listeners will get a taste of what is to come but will also be left wanting more,” he adds in a statement.

Watch the video for “Ye Waqt” below. Stream the song here.