MUMBAI: An amorous dedication to ‘the one’, penned by the 20-year-old melodic rapper Rishaad Chaudhry, Tu released on June 21st, 2022. Listen here. Rooted in hip-hop production while imaginatively looping a finger picking guitar over melodic bars, Tu, meanders through pop, desi rap & direct, no frills songwriting.

The new single by the Geneva-born, Gurgaon-based artist, is an acknowledgement of an ideal love where one cannot imagine themselves with anyone else in the place of their lover. The titular ‘Tu’ is someone the artist’s protagonist is never willing to let go of. An acoustic structure for a heart-swelling pop ditty that is presented as a hip-hop offering, marks Rishaad’s second release in Hindi/Urdu. The 7th release from this young melodic rapper maintains his signature songwriting style, while showcasing the artist’s effort to explore beyond the lines of his previous songs.

Tu is keenly crafted storytelling that draws influences from varied genres and brings them to a thematic unison. Rishaad’s deft lyrical playfulness is front and centre as he effortlessly name-checks his previous single Khafa and transitions to incorporating his own name in the same verse. Soft-chill, dreamy beats carry the sombre yet intimate scripting of Tu - a love that is rare or ‘rishaad’ (Urdu) for a new romantic genre.

The producer for the track ProdVenus laid down the beat for Tu following which Rishaad wrote the song in a desi rap format.”Tu is a result of my own experiences and others about how love can have a huge impact on us. Love allows us to get attached to one person who we do not want to let go of no matter what the circumstances may be and this is exactly what my song talks about. It echoes the love for a special person,” Rishaad elaborates on the romantic blueprint of deep love and affection despite hardships in a relationship that inspired him to write Tu.

The artwork for Tu is a reinterpretation of the legendary Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. In Rishaad’s take on the masterpiece, the hands face one another as a symbol of the love one feels for a special person in their life. Rishaad wants the audience to have a different outlook on the Renaissance art piece. His perspective encapsulates the feelings he portrays in the song.

While all his releases so far have been in the space of Hip-Hop/Pop-Rap, a popular favourite of his generation, the artist views them without the glasses of genre-based descriptions. The aspect of spontaneity in these genres and connected pop cultures as also in life is another reason that drives him to create music, indicating the base motivation of the artist to be beyond labels. He wants to find the space for his own unique expression in every genre possible.