Sometimes, things just happen. When singer Khan and producer Noor released their first video Aarzu in March, they weren’t thinking of a fan following or numbers. Cut to mid-August, and the song boasted of 32.7 million YouTube views.
In July, the duo released another single, O Piya, which received a fabulous response during their recent tour of Raipur, New Delhi and Mumbai. Both songs are backed by Universal Music India.
In some ways, the duo symbolises the new-generation Indian indie musical act. Both are young – Khan is 18 and Noor 23. Both of them don’t belong to musical families or had any formal training. Delhi boy Khan picked up music through learning and experimentation, and Noor considers YouTube as his teacher. Noor, whose actual name is Shivam Choraria, says he even dropped out of music school, “which is kind of funny”.
Yet, they had a strong connection with music. Khan followed Urdu poetry closely, his idols being Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mirza Ghalib, Gulzar and Jaun Elia. Noor started by playing the guitar, tried some piano and then drums. He points out, “Honestly my laptop is the instrument I can best play. My first inspirations were DJ-producers KSHMR and Martin Garrix.”
Significantly, they met through Instagram, began exchanging notes on WhatsApp, and one day figured out they could work together. According to Khan, Noor sent him some demos, including Aarzu. He recalls, “It happened very randomly. I heard the demo, connected with it and everything just fell into place. It was God’s plan, honestly.”
What made the song click? Says Khan, “I was just very honest while writing Aarzu. I didn’t try to make it clever or write it for people.” Noor feels the beat with the sarangi inspired the writing. “It was all done in one day,” he says.
The duo also roped in Madhura to sing some of the vocals. Says Noor, “Madhura is an old friend and for the bridge I don’t think anyone apart from her could have pulled off what she did.”
Though the audio track was released in December 2025, the tune picked up after the video was put out. Directed by Jyoti Kashyap, it features Vihaan Bhatt and Snigdha Shetty. In May, they released a fresh collaboration of the song with Pakistani singer Asim Azhar.
On O Piya, the duo has collaborated with another friend Raqib Ali, Khan’s neighbourhood friend. The singer reminisces, “We used to jam together and one day he came up to me and said, ‘Bhai, kuch likha hai, sunega?’ As soon as I heard the melody, I knew I had to hop on. We didn’t plan a different sound. We just followed the song naturally. It was his debut single.”
Though this video is also directed by Jyoti Kashyap, it features other actors in Divija Kashyap and Yusuf Khan. “The song celebrates the special moments that make love seem so simple,” says Noor.
What’s noteworthy is that both songs conclude with recitation of poetry written by the masters. Aarzu ends with a Faiz Ahmed Faiz sher Donon Jahaan Teri Mohabbat Mein Haar Ke and O Piya closes with Gulzar’s Tumhara Noor Hai. Khan explains, “I’ve always felt very connected to poetry, especially Urdu poetry. Faiz and Ghalib were poets I grew up hearing, and Gulzar is someone I’ve always admired. The lines just felt right for the emotions we were trying to leave the listener with.” Adds Noor, “We loved the idea of adding shayari at the end, as it adds a nice element to the song and is something that stays back.”
Having commenced their tour, Khan and Noor are looking forward to performing in Bengaluru on September 12. How do they fill their set, since they have released only two songs? Says Noor, “We’re performing everything from our catalogue and a lot of unreleased stuff.” Khan adds, “Hearing people sing your own songs back to you is a crazy feeling. They loved the songs we haven’t yet released.”
Khan points out that it is an exciting time to be an independent artiste because one can reach people without necessarily needing a big set-up. He adds, “The biggest challenge is staying true to yourself when there’s so much pressure to chase trends and numbers. I never wanted to make music just to look cool, be flashy or become famous. I want to make music honestly, because I believe that’s what lasts.”
The journey may have just begun, but the youngsters seem to know what exactly they want.
