Akanksha Sethi: From Hindustani Classical Roots to Viral Music Sensation
“There is an incomparable joy you get when your audience can relate to your songs. That is how they remember a musician”—this is what Akanksha Sethi told Lekhak’s Heart in May 2020.
Six years down the line, she remains steadfastly true to her words, inspiring musicians and resonating deeply within the souls of music lovers.
Early Life and Musical Roots in Lucknow
Singing from the age of 10, she has been trained in Hindustani classical music for 8 years in Lucknow. In a further conversation with Lekhak’s Heart, she shared, “I’ve completed my Visharad in Hindustani classical music. Although years of practice helped me grow as a performer, my parents were undoubtedly the pillars of my support.
I was born and raised in Lucknow, and later moved to Bangalore for further studies, where I took my passion for music a step further. I used to attend open mics and had started performing at gigs. One incident I would love to mention happened on Yoga Day, or a similar occasion in college, when I became so nervous on stage that I couldn’t speak a word. At that moment, my guitarist friend asked everyone to cheer for me.”
Being born in a city of Nawabs can never make you one. You must work hard in each phase of your life. This hard work brings you to a point where Raaz tere mere (one of her originals)becomes the melody of relationships.
Recognition and Performances
Her first song, “Call Out to Me,” under the genre of country pop, was released in 2019. Since then, she has been dropping her heart-throbbing originals, which include Raaz tere mere, Kya hi hai, Kahaan Aagaye hum, and Ek Pal.
One of her recent hits was from the Amazon Prime web series “Call Me Bae” starring Ananya Pandey, song name “Khwaish Adhoori.” She was chosen as Apple Music India’s Up Next artist and her music was on its Top 100 charts for two consecutive years. She not only gave her voice in Tamannaah Bhatia’s movie Babli Bouncer but also collaborated with musicians like Amit Trivedi, Javed Ali, Benny Dayal, and Nikhil D’Souza. Even her performance on the stage of TEDx is worth remembering.
It’s not always where luck takes you but the persistence over a period of time and dedication to the artform with every breath you take. This is exactly what you will feel while listening to one of her popular and soothing Insta series known as “Songs in the Dark.” Honestly, even though her songs are trending and hits, we have been fans of this series since the beginning.
In 2025, she dropped another original, “Zamaana,” in collaboration with Ashwin Aswani and Rahul Shah. You can follow her on Instagram to get regular updates on her musical journey.