Singer-Producer Vidit Meghwal’s ‘Sanwariya’ First Came to Him as a Visual Idea

While humming a melody for a song idea, Udaipur-origin singer-producer Vidit Meghwal says his mind offered up a glimpse that was so visual, that it led to his new song “Sanwariya.”

He says over a video call about how the song had its origins three years ago: “I was just jamming and humming and I got a glimpse of a girl walking through in jharokhas [stone windows often seen in Rajasthani palace and fort architecture] with big white curtains on the sides. I saw a girl going towards a bright light.”

His first sounding board was his mother and “Sanwariya” soon took on a spiritual narrative in terms of the theme – lord Krishna as well as the saint-poet Meera in a jogan attire with an ektara in hand. Meghwal adds, “She said I can do this but it’s a very big responsibility to do this kind of song.”

During the process of creating “Sanwariya,” Meghwal admits he was in a “dark phase” of not being happy with his corporate job as a brand manager in Mumbai. He says he was doing “good things” but felt more peaceful when he returned home to Udaipur, sat among the hills where he often visited for alone time and began singing. “It came to me that I have to sing from a woman’s perspective, so I have to be very gentle with the words. I completed the song there. When I took it to my mom, she said it’s complete and ready,” he adds.

Meghwal’s vocals on “Sanwariya” give off a strong Indian classical charm – even though he hasn’t trained in it – and his production sensibilities have often leaned towards club-ready EDM, especially with earlier songs like “Zamana” and “Aatishbaziya.” He’s programmed sitar, flute and tabla all in a way that’s artificial yet organic sounding. “It’s a 60 BPM song, way too slow, but we still needed to make it sound like 120 BPM,” Meghwal adds with a laugh.

The artist began learning production around 2019, back when he didn’t even have his own laptop and was an engineering student. “I used to go to my friends home and started learning through his laptop, and I was using [digital audio workstation] FL Studio,” he adds. Prior to that, Meghwal learned guitar, piano and vocals from his father, who was a guitarist in Udaipur for decades. “He had a guitar that he bought 30 years ago and now handed it over to me. He couldn’t continue due to our financial status at that time, but he thought at least he should teach his son,” Meghwal says.

Meghwal, then, doesn’t think art is a luxury. “It’s vital and I always believed that only creativity and that sort of thing mattered,” he adds. Drawing from Tamil songs as well as Persian music, Meghwal says he doesn’t mind taking his time with his art, though. “Even if I’m going to release one or two songs in a year, I’ll be very, very particular about how I choose a song, how this feels for the lyrics,” he adds.

With about 15 to 16 unreleased songs, the focus on his next material is similar to what Meghwal explored on songs like “Zamana” – about self-belief. He says, “I hope it empowers people,”

Watch the video for “Sanwariya” below.