Hyderabad based pop singer–songwriter Priyanka Nath has come a long way in pursuing a career in music. Tonight when she performs with her band at the Home Grown festival, Nath is all set to swoon you with her vocal artistry and narrative style of story-telling bordering on heartbreaks, loneliness and relationships. She fuses this with music that crosses over from acoustic notes to rock, disco and the darker edges of pop.
In 2024, the Assamese born 27 year old singer debuted her Telugu song Raava Raava alongside Indie artist and playback singer Vedala Hemachandra. Besides that, she has been a support act for Raghav Meattle, Aswekeepsearching, Lucky Ali, Ankur Tewari and the Ghalat Family to many other indie artists. The gifted artist who has been making music for over 5 years is all set to make a mark on the indie pop circuit in the years to come.
In an interaction with The Free Press Journal, Priyanka Nath talks about her music, heartbreaking songs, and upcoming show.
Excerpts from the interview:
You’re performing at Homegrown at the NCPA today. What can audiences expect from your set — sonically and emotionally?
My audience can expect rawness from me. As I will step on stage, I would have dropped all my guards and they would see me for who I really am and know my stories a bit better. Sonically, they can expect a wide variety of music ranging from simple acoustic to RnB to heavy rock. I’ve got my bandmates to thank for introducing me to the possibility of new sounds for my music for my live performances. We’ve got Baidurjya Banerjee on guitars, Akshay Athreya on drums, Christopher Francis on keys and Sunny Anantarapu on bass.
Your live shows move seamlessly between intimate acoustic moments and high-energy performances. How do you design a set that balances these contrasting moods?
I look at it as pleasant highs and lows. It’s also stories I carry them through that drive the whole show as the emotion the narrative carries also reflects in the songs. For my NCPA show though, I have changed the usual order of my setlist and given it a steady rise. We aim to start soft and end it in a ‘rock’ing fashion.
Having lived in Guwahati, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru and now Hyderabad, how have these cities shaped your musical identity, including your hometown Assam?
I’ve never lived in Assam; only visited family for holidays. I’ve enjoyed our festival (Bihu) and rituals as much as I could while living in all the other cities (by visiting or being part of Assam Associations). The years we were in Bombay, Kolkata and Delhi, my main interest lay in dance. My first memory with music lays in CDs of Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar and cassettes of Shaan being played at home while in Mumbai.. I would say yes, I was exposed to music from each city’s culture, however it does not reflect in my music. Being exposed to these cities, their cultures, people and lifestyle has only broadened my mindset and given me something to feel connected to with all of them.
You spent part of your early life in Mumbai. What does the city mean to you today, and did it play a role in nurturing your musical ambitions?
I associate the city with the ‘impossible’ I think. I began visiting Bombay again for work about a couple of years ago. Initially, I used to be in awe of everything - the crowd, roads, houses, deeming them all to be “Bombay”. Over time, my rose-tinted glasses came off and I began to see the city for what it really is - tough. Bombay has time and again shown me where a multitude of factors such as hard work, discipline, talent and luck can get you, while at the same time the lows you can face if not greeted with “success”. Personal lows are indefinitely and unwelcomingly welcome obviously.
Take us back to the beginning — when did music first enter your life, and was it encouraged at home?
My mother was a professional singer at All India Radio, Assam and my dad sings and plays guitar as a hobby. Family and friends get-togethers always turned into musicals. Mom, till date, keeps singing old Hindi songs at home and now so does dad more actively. Music has always been a part of me. When I chose to pursue this professionally, it was met with patience and acceptance as well as fear of succeeding. But after I began performing shows and earning an income, the faith in the profession increased substantially. Today, all of us proudly call me a singer-songwriter.
You’ve described ‘Falling From Grace’ as a “chapter of your life.” What was happening personally during the making of this album, and what does the title signify?
The title plainly means ‘to fall from a graceful state of being’. The album captures memories and experiences from the first half of my 20s, where I was going through tumultuous changes. There was more pain and unhappiness than I would have liked to welcome. Perhaps certain lessons weren’t learned and certain mistakes had to be lived by to truly understand the meaning of words like love, selflessness, patience, time.
Your songs often feel deeply personal and narrative-driven. How much of your music draws from lived experiences?
All of it. Even if a song is not a complete narrative of a wholly physical experience, I still draw influences from certain bits of life and create a narrative I would like. Everything’s inspired from my life.
From your debut single Unexpected to your EP ‘Escape’ (2020) and now your 2025 album ‘Falling From Grace’, how has your songwriting evolved?
I think my songwriting has become more detailed over the years. There is strength in being vulnerable now more than ever.
In a music landscape dominated by indie-pop and non-film Hindi music, what space do you think English-language songwriting occupies in India today?
Hindi lyrics are beautiful, no doubt. After having performed (and still performing) about 4 years of cover music, largely in Hindi, I am completely in awe of how certain lyrics come to shape. I even love to sing in Hindi. I have also felt the same about certain English songs. As far as I am concerned, I feel I think out loud better in English and can do justice to my emotions. After a certain point came a very conscious decision of wanting to continue making my own music only in English. However, I guess life might surprise me and the day I am ready, I would love to introduce or perform a Hindi song even through means of a collaboration. Perhaps now I might confuse my audience since I cannot commit to my work in Hindi.
Before music, you explored modeling and theatre. Do you see those art forms influencing your visuals or stage presence today?
Absolutely. My love for them hasn’t gone away despite not actively pursuing them. I wish to relearn my potential in these fields and bring this persona live on stage someday.
Finally, what lies ahead for you in 2026 and beyond?
Peace lies ahead I believe. I have chosen to take some time to write new music and perform it in a way that would do justice to me as an individual.
Your sound blends indie-pop, rock, acoustic textures and darker atmospheric elements. Which artists or genres have influenced this sonic palette?
Almost all of the artists I have mentioned in the next to next answer have influenced my sound. The acoustic, pop-rock sound is something that tugged at my heartstrings the very first time when I listened to Daughtry, Taylor Swift, 3 Doors Down, Dave Barnes, Miley Cyrus (or rather Hannah Montana), before and when I was a teen. As time goes by, there are more artists I keep discovering. I am also drawn towards Eminem’s style of rap, Yungblud and even certain new-age country artists such as Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman. I like their vocal texture.
If collaboration had no boundaries, who would you most like to work with?
So many for varied reasons. Taylor Swift to learn from her discipline, Yungblud (Dom) to learn from his energy, Lady Gaga to learn from her confidence, Theory of a Deadman and Daughtry because they struck a different chord in me when I was a teenager. 3 Doors Down - I mainly want to perform the song Everytime You Go with them. Miley Cyrus to learn from her unabashed confidence in being herself. These are a few of the many.
Looking back so far, which song or project you have done so far feels closest to your heart — and why?
The songs Red Flag and Falling From Grace. The feelings associated while performing each of these songs has changed with time. The latter reminds me of where I’ve come from, whereas I love performing Red Flag now, a song that is so dark lyrically now makes me feel empowered.
Walk us through your creative process while recording ‘Falling From Grace’. How did the album take shape in the studio?
This album was years of lived experiences and a month or two of collating lyrics, old and new, and putting pieces of the puzzle together. The music for each song had to cover the essence of the lyrics which I think it did. I worked with 3 different sets of producers - Siddharth Talwar and Zain Calcuttawala (Bombay), Suraj Gulvady (Bangalore) and Keshav Dhar (Bombay). To work with each was a conscious decision as they understood the flavours that their respective songs needed. The most odd but hauntingly beautiful song according to me is I Think I Met The Devil from the album.
You’ve trained in Hindustani classical music. How has that discipline influenced your approach to melody and songwriting?
My training in it has enabled me to attempt newer challenges vocally. I still consider myself a newbie in classical training and I lack the confidence to attempt it in my music. However, it has definitely gotten me more serious about wanting to have a hold on my vocals as much as I can.
Event Details: Home Grown – Priyanka Nath
Venue: Experimental Theatre, NCPA
Date: Sunday 8th February 2026, 6.30 pm
