It was only a few years ago that Nayak met a lot of music artistes, and took up music professionally. In 2016, she started studying a contemporary western music course at the True School of Music, Mumbai.
From her first gig at a party in Mumbai in 2017 to playing at the Nariyal Paani festival in Alibaug with her then band, Kimochi Youkai, Nayak has come a long way—starting at less than 500 listeners a day, she now stands at 74,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
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“Ambika has broken out of the mould and is paving the path for pop stars in India, a path that comes with a lot of hard work, extreme criticism and pushbacks from many. She has managed to stand tall and has had many landmark projects to her credit,” says Padmanabhan NS, artists & label partnerships head, Spotify India.
Apart from playing as a DJ at gigs across the globe, Nayak also debuted her live performance at the NH7 Weekender in 2022 and continues performing at large-scale music festivals, including Lollapalooza India. When asked to pick between DJing and performing live, she laughs, “It’s a question I don’t have an answer to, they are both different experiences and way too much fun. The plan is to continue doing both, and getting better at it.”
View the full list of Forbes India 30 Under 30 2023 here
In 2022, not only did she become a Spotify Radar selection, but was also a part of the YouTube Foundry—a global artiste development programme that focuses on discovering and supporting talent around the world. Kayan was one of two Indian artistes among the 30 picked from various genres across the world. “It was a great feeling, because so many artistes that I listen to, like Dua Lipa, have been a part of this programme,” adds Nayak, who is also a model and an actor.
Nayak’s music, mostly pop and R&B, is inspired by everyday life. “Every song of mine has, in some way, been a catharsis. Though I feel I’m a great communicator, there are still some things that I can sing, better than I can say.”