Ayaan Agnihotri: ‘Family’s love for music rubbed off on me’

Salman Khan and Ayaan Agnihotri

Soon after unveiling his track, Party fever, along with "mamu" Salman Khan, Ayaan Agnihotri, who goes by the stage name, Agni, is set to unveil You are mine, a love song rendered in Hindi and English. Atul Agnihotri's son reveals that his first brush with music-making happened a decade ago when he found himself drawn to poetry. "I began exploring poetry and the spoken word in the 10th grade, and then transitioned to [writing] rap. Subsequently, I began writing songs, including chorus sections, and also began to compose them. While I didn't think I wanted to pursue [music] as a profession, I wanted to start putting some stuff out there," says Ayaan, adding that his early influences include Thomas Hardy, whose works he appreciated for their ability to showcase "life from a different lens".

As is not uncommon among young musicians, Ayaan shares that his debut single, Party fever, wouldn't be precisely reflective of his music sensibilities. "I never thought that this would be my [debut] music work. I was recording my upcoming debut EP, Stories About a Storyteller, and my producer liked [Party fever], and asked me to write it for her. I'm now looking to put out work that has been written and composed by me so that I can develop my audience, which will be different from the people who currently hear [my] music. My style of music is influenced by R&B. You'll find a lot of that in my EP, along with a range of other songs, including a hip-hop love song, a slow spoken-word melody, some indie, and some commercial music. I want to see what people enjoy."

Having Salman feature in his first two industry releases would certainly be an advantage, but Ayaan reveals that it is the passion that the entire Khan-daan has for music that has rubbed off on him. "Arbaaz mamu, nana [Salim Khan], and Salman mamu have an appreciation for music. They all sing as well. It's definitely the family's passion that has rubbed off on me."