“I’m largely a self-taught singer and musician” – Akull

After beginning his career as an independent artist, singer and composer Akul made his foray into the cinema. He has worked on films like ‘Malang’ and ‘Cash’ and hopes to continue working in both independent music and film music. Her latest single “Yaad Na Aaye”, released just three weeks ago, has already garnered 18 million views on YouTube.

‘Tera Hua’, your song by Amol Parashar star ‘Cash’ has garnered millions of views on YouTube. The song has a lilting melody and is well produced. How did this song become part of the movie?

I had done Mukesh Bhatt i listen to the song. He really liked it and decided to use it in ‘Cash’. The song was finalized nearly three years ago when the film was in pre-production. The movie was supposed to release in March or April 2020. Due to the pandemic, they had to wait for some time to release the movie. I am happy that Sony Music India has promoted the song very well and it has reached a large number of people.

How was the experience of working with Arijit Singh on this song?

Everyone loves it and if you are a songwriter, it will most likely be at the top of your wish list. I have very fond memories of first meeting him and then recording his voice for the song. We recorded the song in his studio. He is one of the best musicians we have and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with him.

Before that, you also worked on a bunch of other popular Bollywood tracks. In 2020, you produced the title track of ‘Malang’.

Yes! Mr. Mohit Suri had mentored me on my song ‘Laal Bindi’. It was my first non-film single. I used to share a lot of my music with him. One day he made me listen to the title song of ‘Malang’. It hasn’t been properly produced so far. The song was beautiful and had a piano piece running through it. He wanted it to sound like a club number and asked me to produce it. I had a lot of fun producing this track.

What musical training did you receive?

I don’t have much formal training. I learned a lot on my own. At the time, I took a few piano lessons and learned Hindustani classical music for a few months. I learned a lot of things on the Internet. I am largely a self-taught singer and musician.

You have worked a lot in the non-cinematic space. Do you find that more liberating than working on films?

When you’re making independent music, nobody says how things should be done. You gain a lot of freedom there. When creating a song for a movie, you have to follow the director’s vision and go in a particular direction. I like to do both equally.

How did your professional name come about?

My real name is Akull Tandon. As an artist, I identify as AkullOnTheBeat on most platforms. While doing ‘Laal Bindi’, this name came to mind. I think in many ways that defines who I am.

What do you do next?

I keep working to make new music every day. I will be releasing a lot of non-film music in the near future. Some movie songs will also be released this year.