Singer-songwriter Rounak Maiti on his new track, and future work

The singer during a performance. Pic Courtesy/Rohan Johnson

Nostalgia is always sweet, said Proust. Nowhere is this more evident than in music. Yet to recreate the right emotion without it feeling superficial is a rare skill. With his song, Enlightened, which was released last month, Rounak Maiti marks a sparkling return to the country.

Having spent seven years in Los Angeles, the singer-songwriter, formerly from Mumbai, turns to a refreshing '80s-pop-synth style to express his nostalgic theme of romance. "It is one of the first tracks that I wrote when I moved back to India from the US, in 2019. It marked the time of adjustment while shifting to India," he tells us.

The theme, coupled with the style and tonality of the song, adds to its nostalgic vibe. With flowing melodic synth basslines and echoing snares, the song captures a signature sound from the decade. Through all of it, the song carries a clear touch of romantic expression, one of two individuals coming to terms with their relationship. Maiti explains, "I knew it had to be a sort of melancholic call back to classic pop music. I had a melody that was extremely pop-py. It had to be a punchy song, but I still wanted it to be slow. I then thought of the synth-pop direction and decided to overload it with some electronic drums."

The nostalgia is a recurring theme through Maiti's recent works, despite their diverse palette. The musician simply attributes it to his introspections. "As thematic materials go, [nostalgia], is the first thing you turn to. A lot of what I write is about my own experiences and life. I speak in an ambiguous way so that other people can find their truth in it," he notes.

This shift is also a reflection of the singer's evolution since his return to the country. Enlightened is his first release since the move, and marks a more introspective turn. Maiti admits that since the move, he has been looking more inward for inspiration. He is also moving with renewed energy towards production. "During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time at home recording and producing. I got deeper into the process of production as opposed to Los Angeles, where I spent a lot more time song-writing and playing in bands."

The next tracks, he assures, will move in a different direction. His next track, soon to be released, will be, I don't wanna die tonight - a tongue-in-cheek homage to his hometown of Mumbai. "It is a bit more cheeky and fun," he says. Now based in Delhi, the singer is pushing his music production adventures further with collaborations. "Since moving to Delhi, I am collaborating a lot more. I am making more music with other people. Audiences can expect to hear tracks that feature other artistes this year," he reveals, before signing off.

Log on to Enlightened on Spotify or YouTube