Singer Ayush Talniya says tricity is a fertile ground to nurture musicians

Mona

Ayush Talniya’s last number, Shy, has crossed 4 million views and he is a happy man. This engineer from Dehradun, who currently calls Chandigarh home, is living his dream of making music with like-minded artistes. His latest song, Ignore, with Indeep Bakshi and Ashnoor Kaur, is fast winning audience as well.

The beginning

I started singing when I was six, a journey that continues. I have completed Prabhakar from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad. I also trained under my guru, Raju Jha. During my engineering days, I became a part of a live band. Post-placement, I took my parents into confidence to give my singing dreams a chance and moved to Mumbai. After a year of doing stage shows, I met Anup ji from Ullumanati. He told me the way to Mumbai goes via Chandigarh and so I moved base.

Calling Chandigarh home

Since the last two years I have been in Chandigarh. I am working with a fantastic team. We have lyricists, singers, composers; together we make music at Ullumanati. I love this experience. Chandigarh and Mohali are indeed home to the best in Punjabi music who rule even Bollywood. I love tricity. I feel at home here, as I find glimpses of green Dehradun. I am amazed that one has all the facilities of a metro here minus the problems — no traffic woes, no frantic pace of life.

Getting into the Punjabi groove

Shy is my second Punjabi number after Love You and Duja Sorry. It’s a collaboration with Viruss and Dubai-based actor/social media influencer Jumana Khan. I am so happy its winning listeners’ love. When I came to Chandigarh, I barely knew any Punjabi. Now, I am confident not about just singing but also conversing in Punjabi. As an artiste, I want to learn and sing in many languages.

Social media a boon

For artistes like me, social media is a great platform to showcase talent and reach out. Last lockdown, I started uploading covers on Instagram, and now when some of my followers say that even though they don’t know Hindi or Punjabi yet love my music, it motivates me. Meri Zindagi got me recognition. People appreciated my voice and that gave me the confidence to pursue singing. 

My favourites

My current favourite Tujhe kitna chahne lage hum

All-time favourite singer Sonu Nigam

First song that I performed My heart will go on

An introvert or an extrovert In the middle, I am what I feel like

4 am friends Viruss and Stylish Singh

Favourite past-time Exploring undiscovered places, loved Tungnath, Uttarakhand – the highest Shiva Temple in the world