Watch Shreyas Bhartiya’s Quirky Dance Video for New Rock Song ‘Befikar’ 

Pune-based vocalist-guitarist and songwriter Shreyas Bhartiya recalls that it was his mother who first introduced him to music. As a child he learned the harmonium and played Bollywood songs, and it wasn’t until after he finished school that he come across music from the west through a compilation CD, gifted by his cousin. He says, “It had an assortment of classics from the likes of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Bob Marley, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana that I really started digging.” Soon after, Bhartiya heard a girl perform John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” on an acoustic guitar at a college fest. “I fell in love with the sound of the guitar, which soon became my instrument of choice,” says the artist.  

The musician would go on to release an EP called Green Room with his band Antardhvanee, though the group has since parted ways due to the challenges of adulthood. That’s when Bhartiya kick-started his solo career and has been steadily releasing material since 2019. He’s been teasing his forthcoming seven-track debut EP Jogi by releasing singles in a piecemeal fashion, and is now out with the record’s fourth single, the upbeat “Befikar.”  

As a massive rock fan, Bhartiya was keen on exploring the genre with the new song. Talking about the track, he says, “The idea was to keep the feel raw and energetic, and the prominent use of the power chords, heavy riffs, trumpet, drums and piano notes during the interludes, and a guitar solo towards the end of the song, all lend the song its rock ‘n’ roll pedigree.” Lyrically, the track’s message is to seize each moment and live life to the fullest. Bhartiya adds, “It draws inspiration from finding a meaning and purpose in life, and to chase one’s dream relentlessly without giving a damn about anything else.” 

The track’s music video – directed by Saket Samudre – includes a quirky dance routine by Omkar Dhomase while Bhartiya is seen performing the song. The idea for the dance came out of a listening session the singer-songwriter held when he saw his friends groove to the track. “I thought about the script and could relate to the struggle independent artists have to face in pursuing their passion much against the wishes of society and with the pressure to earn a living. That became the storyline for the video,” says the singer-songwriter.  

Jogi is set to be released in full by June with more music videos to follow. Bhartiya is also cooking up a sophomore English EP entitled The Stage while even working on collaborations and performing live too. He says, “I learned during this journey is to be consistent with releasing new music. 2023 for me is about being consistent.” 

Watch the music video for “Befikar” below: