Singer Kayan on rejecting industry boxes and why Indian indie music is finally having its moment || Exclusive

THither is something deep unfiltered near singer-songwriter Kayan. Whether she is standing slow a DJ console, performing at a packed fete stage or writing vulnerable songs in solitude, the Mumbai-based artist has steadily built a space where honesty comes before algorithms. Over the last few years, Kayan, born Ambika Nayak, has emerged as one of India’s most exciting independent voices, with songs like Cool Kids, Simplify, and Lonely, to name a few, blending pop, R&B, and electronic influences while refusing to fit neatly into a single genre.But success, according to Kayan, is no longer just about streams, stages or industry validation. In an honest conversation with Hindustan Times about creativity, boundaries, social media pressure, and the changing landscape of Indian indie music, the artist opens up about choosing instinct over marketability, embracing a more mature phase in her songwriting, and learning to protect her artistic identity in an era where content often threatens to overshadow craft.I’m excited to share a more mature side of myselfKayan says she is currently in a deeply introspective creative phase, one that is shaping the music she is working on now. “With all the new music that I am writing, I am very excited to be sharing a more mature side of me and a very honest side of me,” she says. “It’s going to speak about certain things that I have experienced in my life in a very different way than I have before. So it has changed a lot, and I am excited to see where it goes.”That emotional honesty has always been central to her music. It is perhaps why listeners continue to connect with her work beyond fleeting internet trends. Social media has changed everythingFor independent musicians today, talent alone rarely feels enough. Visibility, virality and consistency online have become almost unavoidable parts of the job. Kayan admits navigating that balance between art and content can feel overwhelming. “It’s a very dicey balance to be honest,” she says. “Social media has changed everything, and as amazing as it can be, it is also so scary because of exactly this.”Her answer, however, is surprisingly grounded. Instead of chasing formulas, she believes artists need people who keep them anchored. “You need some really good people in your corner. People that you can talk to honestly. Sometimes you need another voice,” she explains. “And always follow your gut. Your gut will tell you if something is right or wrong.”Even if artists occasionally lose direction, she believes experimentation matters more than perfection. “Even if you get lost, it’s fine, you can find your way back. Keep doing it. You never know what will work and what won't. Which is why it’s scary. Keep trying new things. What’s the harm?”A label wanted me to completely change my vibeOne of the most striking moments in the conversation comes when Kayan reveals she recently walked away from an opportunity because it required her to become a more “marketable” version of herself. “I very recently experienced the most typical experience any musician would have where a label wanted me to completely change my vibe,” she says. “They wanted me to be someone who they thought could be a little more easily palatable to an audience.”While she understands the commercial logic behind it, the decision did not sit right with her creatively. “I just can’t be that person,” she says candidly. “So you cut your losses and stand for what you have.”Kayan admits she still does not know whether that decision was professionally right or wrong. But for her, instinct mattered more than immediate certainty. “Maybe it was the right or wrong decision, time will tell. But I trusted my gut and that instinct.” Sometimes I think — did I just say that on stage?Despite her confidence as a performer, Kayan says there are moments after live shows when she surprises herself with just how emotionally open she becomes on stage. “I have moments on stage where I have been so honest,” she says. “I find it hard to believe that I can just go on stage and be in front of so many people and say what I said.”Often, it is only in retrospect that the vulnerability hits her. “I think about it later and I’m like, ‘Did I just say that?’” she laughs. “But that’s why I feel like it’s meant to be. It’s just supposed to be what I am doing.”Learning boundaries and protecting her spaceKayan admits that one of her biggest personal learnings over the years has been understanding boundaries. “I find it hard to say no sometimes,” she says. “But I am very particular about needing to know that this is my space and I can do what I want, say what I want, be how I want. Otherwise what’s the point of this?”For her, artistic freedom is essential to survival as an artist. “It’s about finding a good balance,” she adds.When I started, there was barely a roadmapThe Indian independent music scene looks very different today compared to when Kayan first started releasing music during the lockdown. Back then, she says, there were very few independent artists operating in the mainstream space. “When I was putting out music in the lockdown, there were barely any artists. I could count them on my fingertips,” she recalls. “I didn’t have a roadmap at all.”Now, however, she sees a completely different landscape emerging, especially for women in independent music. “In the last two-three years, I suddenly see a burst of so many more artists doing their thing and it’s very, very exciting,” she says.Rather than viewing new artists as competition, Kayan believes their success benefits everyone. “We need to look at the larger picture because it’s only now that the world is getting this kind of exposure to India,” she explains. “If someone is winning, you are winning in the process.”She specifically mentions artists like Big Dawgs rapper Hanumankind, who has gone global with his music and rising singer Reble, the young Meghalaya rapper, whose fame grew tenfold with Dhurandhar music, while discussing the new wave of musicians breaking through globally. “This was bound to happen,” she says confidently. “Maybe other people didn’t see it. But I could always see it for some of us, for this place, for this country.” This feels like a rebirth moment for meEven after years in the industry, Kayan says she still feels like she is only beginning. “I’m almost just six years in, and it feels like this is a rebirth moment for me in life,” she says. “It’s exciting to see how things have changed, but you have to keep up with it, or you’re just going to fall back in.”That sense of reinvention also explains why she recently stepped back from DJing to focus more intently on songwriting and rebuilding what she calls “Kayan life again.” And for all the ambition she still carries, success has started to look simpler and more personal.“The amount of time I am getting to spend with my family… the moments where I have seen them feel proud of me. I feel like, ‘Damn dude, we made it,’” she says warmly.But she is far from done. “This is just the tip of the iceberg for me. I have so much to do, so much music, so much to say,” she adds. “I want people to really feel, relate and know that they have a space.”For an artist navigating an industry obsessed with reinvention, virality and constant visibility, singer-songwriter Kayan’s greatest strength may simply be her refusal to become anyone else.