Indie singer Priyanka Nath on quitting a startup job and finding her voice in music

When indie instrumentalist Priyanka Nath discontinue her table occupation astatine a startup to prosecute music, she did truthful without expectations. “I conscionable had a heavy condemnation that the vocation I stepped distant from was a large nary for me. I besides trusted that I would marque it — immoderate that meant to maine astatine that age,” says the artiste, who transitioned afloat into euphony successful 2020.

She is acceptable to execute caller worldly — a premix of originals and covers — with her ensemble astatine Home Grown 2026, the National Centre for the Performing Arts’ (NCPA) yearly solemnisation of archetypal voices and autarkic music, connected February 8 successful Mumbai. Joining Priyanka connected vocals and acoustic guitar are Baidurjya Banerjee connected guitars, Sunny Anantarapu connected bass, Akshay Athreya connected drums, Christopher Francis connected keys, and Tarun Krishna arsenic dependable engineer. “I’m looking guardant to it, but I’m besides a small nervous,” she admits.

Though she presently lives successful Hyderabad with her parents, being labelled a ‘Hyderabad-based singer’ leaves her unsettled. “I person an individuality crisis,” she says, a feeling shaped by a puerility spent moving cities. A autochthonal of Assam, Priyanka went to schoolhouse successful Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi earlier relocating to Hyderabad successful 2011. “I could determination determination other adjacent and past beryllium called that,” she says. “So wherever americium I truly from?”

Family successful music

Priyanka grew up successful a location steeped successful music. Her parent was a nonrecreational vocalist with All India Radio, Assam, portion her begetter sings and plays the guitar arsenic a hobby. Although she initially hoped to revisit interests successful acting, creation and modelling, singing took centre signifier — astir organically — astir 5 and a fractional years ago. She resists being boxed into a genre, though her existent dependable leans towards pop.

Themes from life

Singing and songwriting travel organically to Priyanka, with themes rooted successful idiosyncratic experience. Heartbreak, introspection and the conflict with interior demons tally done her medium Falling from Grace, released successful May 2025. “It whitethorn look similar a heartbreak album, but it’s truly astir however those experiences changed me,” she says.

Her music, she feels, resonates astir with a somewhat older assemblage — listeners successful the 25–34 property bracket who person lived done hard phases and tin grasp affectional complexity. “In the span of my songs, I effort to crook the section around,” she explains. “If I hadn’t gone done definite experiences oregon thoughts, I wouldn’t beryllium capable to constitute these songs.”

While she is consciously moving distant from penning overtly melancholic material, adjacent her heavier themes are often paired with upbeat, electronic-driven compositions. Red Flag, 1 of her favourites, is simply a lawsuit successful point, taking connected a stone avatar successful her unrecorded performances. Describing her songwriting process, she says, “Sometimes a melody comes archetypal and I prevention it connected my phone, and sometimes the lyric comes archetypal and I physique a melody astir it. The champion is erstwhile some get together.”

For 2026, Priyanka’s guiding rule is simple: instrumentality it slow. “Music is perpetually evolving,” she says. “Instead of rushing, I privation to springiness myself the clip to constitute and find caller ways to contiguous my music.”