Hindi pop-rock band Last Minute India, known for fan-favourite tracks like Jaane Anjaane, Kaagaz Ki Naav, and Rehnuma, recently released their latest single, Ab Main Kya Karun a heartfelt track rooted in a deeply personal experience of one of the band members.
The Mumbai-based indie outfit has steadily built a strong connection with listeners across the country, driven by emotionally rich sound and immersive live performances. With a growing presence on the indie circuit, they are emerging as one of the more promising voices in India’s independent music landscape.
Having performed at platforms such as Zomaland and the Bollywood Music Project, and shared the stage with artistes like Farhan Akhtar, Benny Dayal, and Jasleen Royal, Last Minute India continues to carve a space as an emerging homegrown act to watch out for.
The band consists of founder – songwriter, bassist Subodh Gupta, Purushath Jain on vocals, Bhumit Gor on guitars, Austin on lead guitars, and Parth on drums.
In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, the band members opened about their new single, their creativity in making love stringed songs and why they call themselves Last Minute India.
Excerpts from the interview:
Your band name suggests spontaneity. How much of your music is actually “last minute,” and how much is actually you guys working on songs?
Subodh: The name and our stars align in a way where most of the best decisions and best work has been last minute. But honestly we do work on songs. We spent around a year making this one.
How did the name Last Minute India come about and why did you name it so?
Bhumit: The name Last Minute India came from a spontaneous college moment when we were rushing to register for a music competition in multiple colleges. During one of the competitions, we had to decide on a name at the very last minute and that’s how we came up with the name. So we all met as engineering students in college, and we connected by our shared love for music. What started as casual jam sessions between lectures gradually grew into something more meaningful, eventually becoming Last Minute India and a journey that’s now spanned over a decade.
Your latest song Ab Main Kya Karun explores a deeply personal piece of work. Tell us about the song and the surrounding story behind it.
Subodh: My mom was diagnosed with cancer. Personally seeing your loved ones suffer and the fear of losing them is something that everyone has to fight someday. I just wrote whatever I felt at that moment. I usually express whatever I go through via all my songs. These songs are my journal and have emotions that have been lived through.
Do you feel the song Ab Main Kya Karun invokes a realization in people that when things go wrong, what is the next step? What solution would you provide to such people?
Purusharth: Ab main kya karun is a song that depicts the horrors or sadness you face when you lose someone very close to you. It tells you about the bitter truth of life that is something inevitable for every person in the world regardless of wealth or fame. The next step is how you deal with it and move on keeping them in your hearts and doing what you love as it is what your loved one would have wanted.
How do you navigate turning personal, deeply unsettling emotions like fear of loss into music?
Austin: I usually start with the emotion not the idea and I try not to filter those emotions too much. Music comes naturally to me. I play what I feel at that moment.
You often talk about music allowing you to accept and tell the truth. Why is honesty important in your lyrics?
Subodh: People connect to honesty. The more honest your words are, the more they relate. And by people, it's me first. I make sure to write or make songs that I personally feel.
Your songs like Jaane Anjaane, Main Sach Kahun, Kaise, Rehnuma and most of your work revolve around personal stories, musical journeys and a lot of emotions? Are these personal thoughts and experiences from the band members?
Bhumit: Yes most of our songs are based on personal real life experiences. We feel that way our audience can relate to our songs better and also for them to know that they are not the only ones who have felt or are feeling this way, (but) there are others as well and that you are not alone.
Going back in time, the rock tinged Yaadein was the song that took off for the band and since then you have come a long way with singles like Aao Na in 2020 and Kaagaz Ki Naav in 2021. How has the journey been so far?
Austin: It’s been a journey of constant progress basically a mix of highs and lows and a lot of self-discovery which I got to learn. Each release has been a step toward understanding our sound and telling our stories more honestly. We’ve grown not just musically but emotionally as well.
In an era of algorithms and trends, social media and influencers, how do you make your music relate to the Gen Z of which you are part of?
Parth: Making our music relate to Gen Z isn't about chasing the aesthetics or using the right hashtags, it's about emotional connection. We don't write songs to fit a 30-second reel trend, we write songs with honesty to fit the emotions of the listener. Our new release Ab Main Kya Karun reflects that unfiltered headspace where you're stuck between what you want and what the world expects. With our new release, we aren’t trying to be trendy, we’re trying to be real.
What is the biggest challenge for independent bands in India today?
Purusharth: In India, because of the mass audience listening to film and Bollywood music, the audience for bands is very less. Plus a band has multiple people involved that makes it even more difficult. The biggest challenge for bands is to get their correct targeted audience whether it is for a song release or for selling tickets. And that takes money to do it. But on the brighter side, in this age of artificial intelligence where people are confused about what is real or not, live music is a luxury, plus a tight band is a cherry on top.
Your repertoire is Hindi pop, do you plan on making songs in English or any other languages.
Bhumit: Well to be honest, we don’t start off by being a pop rock band, we were just a bunch of kids wanting to make music not specifying any genre. Pop Rock was the genre given to us by our fans who heard our songs. When it comes to language, I think we will stick to Hindi as that’s the language our singer can sing in, but if we have to collaborate with another singer or something like that, I don’t see us playing a song in another language
What’s one “rule” in the music industry that you secretly enjoy breaking, and how has that shaped your identity as a band?
Subodh: I think one “rule” we’ve kind of always broken is the idea that you have to fit into a certain sound or chase what’s working at the moment. We’ve tried to think like that before, but it never really felt like us. Over time, we’ve just leaned into making whatever feels honest in that moment, even if it’s quieter, more personal, or not what people expect from a band like ours. I guess that’s what’s shaped us the most, just being okay with doing our own thing and trusting that whoever relates to it will find it.
