Singer Akriti Kakar: Even established singers struggle for opportunities; films and indie songs both are tough to crack

Saturday Saturday and Iski Uski fame singer Akriti Kakar says that even established artistes continue to face challenges in the music industry.

Singer Akriti Kakar, known for tracks such as Saturday Saturday (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, 2014) and Iski Uski (2 States, 2014) says that even established artistes continue to face challenges in the music industry. From landing playback opportunities to making independent music click, singers continue to face uncertainty.

Akriti Kakkar

The 40-year-old, who recently released her song Oh Jaanu with Euphoria member Palash Sen, points out that playback singing comes with too many variables. “Sometimes I just have to wait for a music director to call me for a song in a film. Even when I get the opportunity, there’s no guarantee that the song will make it to the final film. And even if it does, you never know whether the film or the song will work,” she says.

With independent music offering an alternative, Kakar believes artistes should take charge of creating their own opportunities rather than waiting for that one breakthrough song.

“The only thing in the hand of a singer is to do their best, that’s it! So why not use that energy for your own song, alongside being called by other people? Otherwise, I will just keep waiting for that one life-changing song,” says the singer.

However, she believes luck plays a major role in determining whether an independent song finds an audience.

“There are so many songs being released every day and there’s every chance of your song getting lost in the crowd. It can be discouraging, and at times, the thought of giving up and not doing it again comes to the mind. But as singers, our karma is to keep trying,” she says.

The singer says, “Everytime I do a show I put some money aside for my indie song. We have to become business people also. So, most of my music is made and funded by me and my husband Chirag Arora (an ad film maker) has done the visual side of it. As an artist, I am trying to make music that I want to say with a blend of nostalgia and modernity. And, I try to do it differently from the existing flow.”

Kakar also points to social media as a key driver of discovery. Recalling her Ganpati song, she says, “In 2024, I released a Ganpati song, Ganesha Ganesha. We had just released a lyrical track with few shots from the Ganpati puja at hour home. Last year, I saw people tag the track in their posts on social media, and today it has been used in over 45,000 reels and the song got huge boost on my YouTube channel. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it continues to reach more people.”

On collaborating with Palash she says, “I was a 15-year-old schoolgirl when I did an opening act for Palash day show. Then he called me for a song in which I had to do the talking and I was like what? Not sing? Later, I understood when Saanjna came out. Then I performed during Euphoria's 25 year's celebration concert and now this collaboration. He is so full of energy and cooperate and within a day we shot the song with six looks.”

The song blends retro pop, funk and the disco sounds of the 70s and 80s Bollywood, bringing a fun and nostalgic feel to the music.