Tanmaya Bhatnagar is a self-taught singer-songwriter and graphic designer based in Delhi, who creates music that is simple and from the heart, she plays the guitar and the ukulele, and writes songs in both English and Hindi. Her songwriting is often inspired by her own experiences, she writes about how she has felt in relationships, in everyday life and also writes about the relationship that she has with herself. Starting her journey almost 3 years ago – penning down songs and melodies, she recorded her compositions on her phone in her bedroom and uploaded them regularly on Soundcloud.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Tanmaya about her latest project, challenges, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

I am from everywhere and nowhere. I say that because my father served in the Indian Army for 25 years and since then I have only been traveling. Living life almost like a nomad but currently I live in New Delhi, India. And I guess I am still in search if a place I can call home. If you ask me what kind of music I create, I would say,  currently its – emotional. My music is just thoughts and emotions. I think I have been writing music with no said rules or genre in mind, I simply write what I feel and it could be put into genre or could also be a genre that probably doesn’t exist. Although my influences are more from the singer-songwriter/ indie-folk genre.

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

I have grown up around a musical mother who enjoyed singing and writing poetry and I guess that is were I drew my inspiration from.
But as I grew older I realised how important it was for me to be able to express myself and the only way that I found the most comforting and easy was through songwriting.

Honestly, what keeps me going is the feeling of having something to say, not being afraid of being vulnerable, strong or lonely.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

Every song has a different story and feeling. I don’t think I am trying to accomplish anything specific with my new song, but it is just another piece of the puzzle.

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

I think technology has been really beneficial and negative all at the same time.

On one hand, it is absolutely essential for you as an Artist to have a platform where your listeners can follow your work and constantly be alerted about any new music you’re releasing, any potential gigs etc. It’s wonderful and so helpful to have that tool in your pocket, although personally on a mental and emotional level, sometimes it gets tough, because you feel so small in such a big industry, and you have to keep reminding yourself that you’re in it purely for the music… and that it is not about popularity or anything superficial because social media can be really tough on your mental health as an Artist and in general too.

What was the last song you listened to?

I have been listening to Mac Miller’s Album Circles.

Good News : Mac Miller

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

I listen to  MP3s but I would rather have a  Vinyl Player

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I am currently enjoying Spotify, although I love Apple Music’s UI.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

Anywhere 🙂 I am super active on Instagram where I announce all my new releases with occasional photos of what I am  up to.

Thank you for such interesting Questions 🙂