Ankur Tewari on his musical journey, creative process, and forthcoming ventures

The Belgium-born, Indian artist—Ankur Tewari is known for his distinctive work, which includes notable contributions to films such as Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Finding Fanny (2014), and The Archies. His creative prowess has helped him engineer impactful stories through music that leave a mark on his audience. The singer-songwriter tells Bazaar India, “I immerse myself in a mood and a feeling...it usually starts with me strumming something on my guitar and humming along with it. As I create a score for the mood and feel, sentences start forming slowly, and verses start taking shape. Sometimes, music pulls the words and vice versa, and you lose yourself to the process. Most times when I wake up from this trance, there is a song in front of me.”

Whether he is singing about love, loss, hope, or despair, Ankur has a unique ability to connect with listeners on a personal level. His songs cross boundaries of being mere compositions, and are a heartfelt expression of his innermost thoughts. A good example of that would be the backstory of the song by his band, Ankur and The Ghalat Family Jahan Tak Humein Yaad Hai, “It came from anger. There was a supposed friend of mine who was bitching behind my back... This really disturbed me and I wrote this song Jahan tak humein yaad hai tum the nahin, bahaane tere hazaar the par tum the nahin (As far as I remember you were not there, you had a thousand excuses, but you were not there),” he shares. 

Ankur has worked with music producer and recording engineer, Rohan Ramanna for his recently released album, Akela. “He captured the mood of what I wanted to express.” Some of Ankur’s current favourite songs are: Ghummi Ghummi by Srushti Tawde, Zoo Girl by MIA, Secret by Fred Again & Brian Eno.

So what’s next for Ankur? “I’ve got some intriguing projects in the pipeline. There are a few songs I have collaborated on with The Islanders (American instrumental duo) for The Archies. Additionally, there’s some exciting material featured in the upcoming movie Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. I am also actively working on the next season of Coke Studio Bharat. Furthermore, we are striving to unveil captivating content through our label, Tiger Baby Records (coowned by Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, and Ankur). It’s a genuinely exciting time.”

Tiwari's fab four

Kitse by NYN Music & Mohito

Parwaana by Ankur Tiwari 

Secret by Fred Again & Brian Eno

Zoo Girl by M.I.A