Haniya Nafisa on her journey from singing covers to becoming an indie musician

Haniya Nafisa on her musical journey from covers to originals

It was during the lockdown that Haniya Nafisa broke into the music scene. The covers she uploaded on her social media handles won her a legion of fans. After a short break from social media, Haniya forayed into the independent music scene and has released three originals this year, the latest among them being an English track, ‘When life gives you lemons’.

“It was a song meant for a friend’s short film. I recorded it along with the background score. I was encouraged to release it separately. Initially, we made a lyric video with some artwork. There was no plan to bring it out as a music video,” says Haniya, over the phone from Kochi.

“It is about living a monotonous life,” says Haniya, who features as a waitress in the video. She adds, “It was an attempt at something new. The acceptance for English songs is picking up in Kerala, so it was a risk that we took. I have experimented with the vocal texture by bringing in a retro vibe.”

The tonal quality of her voice, the cinematography, the orchestration and the vibe of the video have come in for praise. Produced by Haniya and her friend, Aslam Seju, the cinematographer of the video, under their banner Neue Films, it is directed by Arshed Iqbal.

The work also features rapper MHR and digital creator and musician Salman Koroth. “We didn’t expect so much love for an English song. There has been positive feedback from within the music industry as well. We have got offers to create more songs and hopefully it will happen soon,” she adds.

The artiste stresses that making a music video is no cake walk. “It requires a huge investment. But it helped that all the artistes and technicians in the video are our friends. There was a mutual trust and that’s why the video happened.”

Looking back at her journey, Haniya, 21, talks about her transformation from being one in the crowd to a solo artiste. “In school, co-curricular activities interested me more than studies. But I preferred to work or perform as part of a group and never had the confidence to take an initiative to do something on my own. However, that changed during the lockdown. The only thing I could do then from the comfort of my home was singing,” Haniya says.