Kamakshi Khanna is a Delhi based singer songwriter playing RnB, soul and pop music. Her music is the perfect amalgamation of the old and new, transcending age groups to appeal to everyone alike. From beautiful, hummable melodies to meaningful and relatable lyrics, her songs take you on a musical journey that has to be experienced.
New Delhi: February 2017: Presenting her first cohesive body of work, Delhi based singer songwriter Kamakshi Khanna launched her debut album Cakewalk on 1st February, 2017 at The Amphitheatre, India Habitat Centre.
Returning to her favorite venue where she released her first EP Much Mellow in 2014, Kamakshi presented the entire set list from the album at a solo concert. Also treating everyone with her hits like “Where did you go’ and ‘Shackles’. Released by Times Music, the album will see Kamakshi take a multi city tour across India, presenting her songs through a series of concerts.
Cakewalk, Kamakshi Khanna’s debut album walks you through different eras of sound, interpreting it in the artist’s simplistic style of songwriting. There is a note for everyone there. Versatility of sound being the only constant in this medley of songs. Kamakshi, an experimentalist at heart, trapezes through sounds, presenting seven songs that are distinctly different in genre, yet totally in sync with the words that look at life intensely, making it strangely sound like a Cakewalk! And it’s this juxtaposition that makes Cakewalk so special.
The album features artists like Pranav Pahwa on Guitars, Gautam Menon on Drums, Anugrah Pandey on Bass and Nirvan Athreya On Keyboards, Produced by Keshav Dhar and featuring guest artists such as Harshit Misra on Bass, Rie Ona on Saxophone and Tarana Marwah on Synth Bass.
The first song ‘I am in my own way’ is a stripped down ballad with live strings, ‘Cakewalk’, the title track emanates the old school motown vibe while ‘Don’t hide’ is out and out R&B soul. Track four ‘I tried’ takes a U turn into a raw, folkish feel and Little, a powerful work of prose is a pop ballad. From live to electronica, the two last tracks: Hold your horses and Moved by stillness are futuristic in sound.
“Cakewalk is a compilation of the many genres of music I enjoy. For me, music is a discovery of sound and words and a reflection of the world inside and outside my head , which might be tough. But when I write music things become simple and that feeling is what I want to share with the world through this album.” Says Kamakshi Khanna.
The launch was well attended by Mr. Sabbas Joseph, Dhruv Jasia, Promila Bahri, Madhu Jain, Naina Balsavar, Nidhi Bhageria, Anupam and Charu Parashar, Jai Parvesh, Sunayana Chibba, Madhu Jain, Atika Gupta, Saif Mahmood, Amber Paridhi, Monisha Bajaj, Neera Nath, Poonam Bhagat and many maore
BIBLIOFILE: KAMAKSHI KHANNA
2006: At Age 13 she was chosen to be a part of the Mozart Choir Of India. An initiative by Pandit Ravi Shankar and Grammy winning composer, Gerald Wirth. She toured Austria and India singing western and Indian classical music.
2009: At 16 years of age, she recorded a single ‘Brand New World’ with her school band.
2011: She landed her first professional break as Euphoria’s back up vocalist and toured nationally and internationally with them whilst continuing to sing in her college choir and building her repertoire of original music.
2012: She formed her own collective featuring music written and composed by her with whom she performed at various venues and festivals in Delhi.
2014: She released her Debut EP, Much Mellow with her collective at India Habitat Center, New Delhi that is now available on ITUNES, AMAZON, OK Listen and Soundcloud. The track Shackles was featured on Apple India’s indie hit playlist along with artists like Raghu Dixit, Thermal and a quarter, Blackstratblues and Vasudha Sharma.
2015: She was one of the top 6 contestants on India’s first ever English singing reality show, The Stage aired on Colors Infinity and VH1 India judged by renowned musicians like Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani, Monica Dogra and Devraj Sanyal and hosted by Shibani Dandekar.
2015: She debuted in Bollywood with a duet with Palash Sen on the song ‘Sautela Shehar’ from the movie ‘Aisa Yeh Jahaan’ starring Palash Sen and Ira Dubey.
2016: A member of the vocal trio, River with Tarana Marwah, Abhilasha Sinha and Utkarsh Varma she performed at Bacardi NH7 Weekender Music Festival Shillong and Pune.