MUMBAI: Two weeks ago Ritviz announced an ambitious and exciting plan of releasing 21 songs in 21 weeks but the pop sensation and electronica producer already has a surprise in store for fans - this time in the shape of the much-awaited collaboration with prolific producer Karan Kanchan that releases on July 9.

The first of 22 songs to be released by Ritviz, ‘Khamoshi’ - a synthpop production - is unlike Kanchan’s earlier work with hip-hop heavyweights rappers like DIVINE and Naezy or even his own trap-heavy productions. A collaborative effort between Ritviz and Kanchan, Ritviz’s trademark vocal stylings add a layer of melancholy to a beat that resonates with nostalgia and a time past, and the end result is a song that has all the makings of an earworm.

The release of ‘Khamoshi’ would be accompanied by a video on July 9, directed by Jugaad Motion Pictures, who have been behind most of Ritviz’s distinctive videos like ‘Sage’ and ‘Liggi’.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RITVIZ (@vizdumb)

The fun collaboration, announced a few months ago, became the perfect flag off for a string of releases that promise to keep fans and the Indian music industry on its toes. Last month, Ritviz announced plans to release 21 songs – two collaborative albums with Nucleya and Seedhe Maut – starting August till the end of 2021.

“Karan and I announced the release of Khamoshi in December last year but for creative reasons we didn’t end up putting it out,” explains Ritviz. “It took us a bit to figure out what was missing but eventually we did and I’m so excited with how it has turned out. Since there are 21 songs coming up across August to December, it just made complete sense to add this as a surprise drop to kick off the string of releases,” he adds.

Kanchan, who has become one of the go-to beatmakers for hip-hop artists in the country, dabbled with different genres during the lockdown, and ‘Khamoshi’ was the result of one such experiment.

“I loved the direction that Ritviz took, and it was a very new zone and style for both of us. It started off as an English pop-inspired track, but Ritviz brought the Hindustani classical vibe to it, and made something really special,” says Kanchan of the collaboration.

Ritviz is the most streamed Indian indie artist on Spotify India, and second highest on the streaming service globally. In the last 18 months, his YouTube channel has amassed two million subscribers to its name – from 330,000 subscribers in October 2019 – and his videos routinely accumulate views in the millions.