To be here, I’ve gone through all my savings. That’s just to pay my rent. It’s not easy to survive in this city,” Akash Chopra tells mid-day over the phone. His words are somber, but they are delivered with a casual and relaxed intonation. It’s an inflection reminiscent of the undertones in his music, which is compared to “a lazy, peaceful rainy day where you’re tucked in your blanket” on Spotify. His soft Indie vocals blend together seamlessly with the sound of his acoustic guitar to make music that is stunningly melancholic and stirring, no matter where the listener comes from. His most-streamed song, Tu Hi, has a sound that is evocative of the Indie Rock stylings of Welsh musician Novo Amor, the dream-like, tranquil instrumentals of Sufjan Stevens, and the music of Indie folk sensation Prateek Kuhad. 

And yet, for Chopra, this is just the beginning of his laborious journey to finding success in Mumbai. The 29-year-old moved from Jaipur to Mumbai in February 2022 after being dismissed from his job as a guitar and piano teacher during the pandemic. “This city is where the industry is. It’s where the art is. It’s the place where you can earn the respect you deserve for the art you’re making,” he says, adding one crucial caveat, “all of that only applies if you can survive here.”