Anuv Jain: Turning memories into music

Jain writes songs that are soulful, romantic, and, at times, melancholic. He has over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He believes an artiste's work and social media presence go hand in hand

By Mansvini Kaushik Forbes India Staff

Published: Feb 16, 2023 11:37:28 AM IST

Updated: Feb 16, 2023 12:06:43 PM IST

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Anuv Jain
Image: Mexy Xavier; Light painting: Hemal Patel; Style: Aratrika Das Anuv Jain Image: Mexy Xavier; Light painting: Hemal Patel; Style: Aratrika Das

Anuv Jain | 27

Musician

Independent music has long had a selective audience, with each indie artist creating their niche. However, this is changing, and one of the musicians at the forefront of this wave is Anuv Jain, a 27-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Ludhiana who rose to fame when his first studio release ‘Baarishein’ blew up and garnered a huge following.

Singing as part of his school choir and learning to play the guitar, Jain developed a passion for music in his early teens. He wrote ‘Baarishein’ when he was 16. “The song is personal to me and was not written with the intent to release,” he says. “But I guess music has its way of reaching its audience.”

Having released nine singles, including ‘Gul’, ‘Mazaak’, ‘Mishri’, and ‘Alag Aasmaan’, among others, he tries to weave a story through what happens in his life. “All my songs are inspired by something I’ve experienced at some point in life,” he says.

“I feel there’s a treasure hunt going on for music in the country right now,” says Jain. “People are trying to hunt for music that offers them comfort and is relatable.”

Jain writes songs that are soulful, romantic, and, at times, melancholic. He has over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He believes an artiste’s work and social media presence go hand in hand. “Artistes build their social media presence and establish an identity with it. People are hunting for artistes who have a personality they resonate with,” says Jain, who has 623,000 followers on Instagram and 883,000 subscribers on YouTube.

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“Anuv’s magic is in his songwriting,” says Padmanabhan NS, artists and label partnerships head at Spotify India. “His fan connection is extremely powerful. In any casual chat you have with Anuv, you will realise he means business. He is serious about his music and vision. Though he released only two singles in 2022, Anuv grew to 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, which is a huge achievement because as an indie artist, he is bigger than many Bollywood singers and pop stars in India.”

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Having graduated in business from NMIMS Mumbai and intending to join his family business, Jain didn’t consider music making as a career. “It has always been a passion, but it wasn’t until about three years ago that I got into music full-time,” he says.

Having performed in multiple cities in 2022, Jain says a lot more is in store for 2023. “Whatever I’ve been doing till now, multiply it a 100 times, that’s the scale of plans we’re working on now,” he says. With multiple music releases, some strategic brand collaborations, and umpteen tours and performances, Jain aims to make 2023 the most monumental year of his journey.

Despite his success, Jain remains humble and focussed on continuing to improve and exceed expectations. “I am always in a perpetual state of surprise, never thought I’d reach the scale that I’ve. I want to be the best at what I am doing... with all the fun that comes with it, there is a lot of responsibility,” he says, adding that he plans to surpass expectations in 2023 as well.