Shraddha Sharma Releases ‘Azal,’ an Innocent Ode to Childhood and Love

The Internet music sensation joins hands with singer-songwriter Nikhil Swaroop on this endearing single that sees two children confess their feelings to each other

Mumbai, 18^th October, 2021: Shraddha Sharma and Nikhil Swaroop have released the soulful ballad, “Azal.” The track is accompanied by a music video that portrays the innocence of love between a boy and a girl as they pass letters and gifts to each other. Meaning “for eternity,” the roots of “Azal” lie in a guitar riff composed by Swaroop who wrote the song as a reminder of the first time he fell in love with a classmate at the age of 11. Sharma, who has worked with the esteemed likes of Grammy and Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, as well as celebrated musicians such as Shaan, Mithoon and Badshah, lends her voice as the perfect obbligato to a song that sees a boy and girl express their first love to each other.

Watch the music video for ‘Azal’ here:

Directed by rising Delhi-based filmmaker Pulkit Kalra and his team at Pulkitxx, the music video for Azal depicts the story of a boy and girl trying to connect with each other. In the clip, a boy takes a bracelet out of his pocket and seals it in an envelope, handing the package to the postman. Somewhere else, a girl sits at her desk, writing and scrapping many letters until she receives the boy’s gift. Overjoyed, she finally pens her feelings and seals the letter in an envelope emblazoned with a heart and butterfly, handing the message over to the postman who delivers it to the boy. Both hold their gifts close, smiling as they experience their very first love.

Says Shraddha Sharma, “ I didn’t release an original all this while because no song ever felt this right for my first release. Azal is as beautiful for me as the person who has written it and I feel lucky to have my name associated with this beautiful composition. I hope people could feel the same love listening to it as we felt while making it.”

Says Qyuki COO, Juhi Mehta, “Shraddha who was India’s first digital Superstar, has always been ahead of her game. She was the pioneer who set the pathway for many artists in the digital world. Her talent speaks volumes and she has won the hearts of millions through her soothing melodies. We’re extremely ecstatic about her first original and we’re always happy to support her in every step of the way.”

An innocent ode to childhood and love, “Azal” is an endearing tale of a feeling so pure it endures through time and space. Produced by ace musician Keshav Dhar, the arrangement of the song takes listeners through a journey of emotions, going from gentle to all-consuming as the harp, violin, drums and tambourine join the humble guitar to tell the story of the boy and girl. Both Sharma and Swaroop hope the song will resonate with listeners and lead them to reminisce about the first time they fell in love. Up next for Sharma is a slew of original music in 2021, while listeners can expect both Hindi and English singles from Swaroop in the year ahead.

Co-Founded by Samir Bangara, A.R.Rahman and Shekhar Kapur, Qyuki is a data-driven new media company which discovers & invests in India’s most influential creators to help them rapidly grow their audience, create content and launch new IPs. Qyuki has to its name several premium formats like ARRived – a singing talent hunt show with A. R Rahman as a mentor, Jammin’ – a collaboration-focused music show where legendary Bollywood composers and India’s top Internet icons create original tracks – and NEXA Music – a nationwide talent hunt for English-language singers. In Jan 2020, Qyuki created a breakthrough format of fan festival called Epic Fam Jam, which brought together India’s biggest online sensations – in thematic mini-worlds of their own for superfan meetups – topped with incredible live performances. Qyuki also exclusively manages a host of talent across various digital platforms including Youtube, Instagram Snapchat and Josh.