Watch Simetri’s Choregraphed Dance Video for ‘On My Mind’
The Mumbai-based pop sister duo release the clip on the back of winning the first edition of talent hunt NEXA Music
Sisters Simran (left) and Riya Duggal of Mumbai pop pair Simetri. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
When Mumbai pop pair Simetri, comprising sisters Riya and Simran Duggal, sent in their ethereal track “Dreamers in the Sun” to talent hunt NEXA Music, they weren’t expecting to go through such an “exciting journey.” From working with musician-producer Clinton Cerejo to being chosen as one of the four winners from over 1000 entries and even collaborating with renowned composer A.R. Rahman on the competition’s flagship song “You Got Me,” Simetri have had quite an eventful past 12 months. “He [Rahman] was so down to earth and so calm,” says Riya.
Now the siblings are back with a brand new music video for their 2019 single, the saccharine “On My Mind.” The track which first appeared on Mumbai producer AWY’s EP 78% is about “not being afraid to love someone while constantly thinking about them,” according to Simran. Sonically the song plays to Simetri’s strengths with pop elements plastered all over while the sisters share the verses and join in on the chorus to blend their voices, creating lush harmonies.
In the clip – shot and edited by videographer Sushant Kamble – we see the vocalists performing the song to a choreographed routine on a beach and in a dance studio. The video also features backup dancers, slick production and plenty of finesse. Riya says, “We’re really proud of this one because we did it completely DIY on a shoe-string budget.” The editing stage for the video, however, was a bit tedious according to the sisters due to the current lockdown as they had to exchange ideas over text messages and a video call with Kamble. “That was one long video call,” says Simran.
Speaking of the lockdown, ask the pair what they’ve been doing to keep busy and Simran says, “We’re writing a lot of music consistently.” Apart from that, the sisters have also been taking online dance classes as well as shooting videos of cover songs for their social media handles.
Just before the coronavirus outbreak, Simetri took a conscious decision to step away from their role as backing singers for artists like Shalmali Kholgade, Ananya Birla and Harshdeep Kaur to focus more on their own work. “Every artist we’ve worked with has given us something uniquely invaluable which I feel will reflect in our music hereon,” says Riya. Once the pandemic settles down, the plan for Simetri is to gig a lot and also release more music before the end of the year.
Watch the video for “On My Mind” below:
