Vineet Singh Hukmani | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Global radio chart-topping singer-songwriter Vineet Singh Hukmani celebrates the joy of travel and the limitless variety of destinations in India with his latest offering ‘Kahan Chal Diye’ ahead of the travel season. The pop-rock song, crafted with upbeat drums, peppy guitars and electric piano, is an ode to travel and exploration within India’s vast and varied landscapes.
Hukmani believes that the beauty of road travel is to suddenly discover beautiful places at the most unexpected turns on the road. “From the magic of pure hilly mornings to relaxing near beautiful lakes at sunset – it’s all very satisfying,” he said. For him, this magic happened about 150 kilometres from Udaipur. Travelling on an unplanned route, he shot at a stunning location that he found by chance.
The cinematic feature features breathtaking views of the beautiful roads, rolling hills, tranquil lakes and other mesmerizing landscapes of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. The team used a combination of two cameras for close-ups and wide shots and a drone to capture a bird’s eye view of the place. “Even in the fine zoom-out of the drone you will see me as a ‘lone traveller’ in the video, which not only adds to the authenticity of the detail but also communicates the joy of travelling alone,” he added.
Vineet’s song celebrates the joy of travel | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The idea behind the song came from a comparison between travelling within one’s own country and travelling abroad. “The ease of travelling in India is unmatched – just start your car and get going! where did you go “It’s not just a question, it’s a statement of that ease,” Hukmani said with a smile. According to him, travelling abroad is fun, but it requires a lot of planning in terms of visas and currency calculations. “It usually becomes a controlled ‘guided tour’. Also, some people travel abroad only because of social media pressure!” he said. “I want my song to remind people to travel for the right reasons of personal satisfaction, and there is plenty of that in our diverse country,” he added.
Hukmani’s previous Hindi songs, based on the joys of being a modern ‘Indian’, have garnered over 27 million views on social media. For his next English song, about saving young children from the atrocities of war, Hukmani plans to experiment with alternative opera. “It will be straight from the heart and I hope it really makes a difference,” said Hukmani, an electronics engineer by profession.
The Harvard Business School alumnus, known for breaking the proverbial glass ceiling with his records and global radio playout over the past several years, has set a great example for Indian independent artists. Last year, he created the world’s first music multiverse with his song ‘Run! Run! Run!’ It also featured a short animation film and a superhero comic book called Runestorm. The concept allowed people to interact with content in a multidimensional way, creating new revenue sources in an otherwise commoditized music market.
Furthermore, Hukmani’s multi-genre offerings have earned him immense popularity in the global radio charts and a world record of 9 No. 1s in the European Radio Top 100. This also inspired him to write Nine, an exciting multimedia book with a soundtrack that showcases nine stories with nine tracks each. Nine was also accepted for a Grammy submission in the ‘Crafts’ category under ‘Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package’.
