MUMBAI: ‘Khamoshi’, the first of 22 songs that pop sensation and electronica producer Ritviz plans to release till the end of 2021, is finally out alongside a video that’s “dedicated to everyone who left their homes to conquer these mad cities.”

A much-awaited collaboration with prolific producer Karan Kanchan, Ritviz’s trademark vocal stylings add a layer of melancholy to the synthpop-laced 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 surprise release – announced less than a week ago – has also been added as the sixth track on Ritviz’s debut album, DEV, the tracklist of which also included ‘Thandi Hawa’, ‘Chalo chalein’, ‘Liggi’, and ‘Pran’.

Directed by Jugaad Motion Pictures – who have been behind most of Ritviz’s distinctive videos, Ritviz and Kanchan make fleeting appearances in the ‘Khamoshi’ video which was shot in the ‘Pink City’ Jaipur and stars Rudraksh Thakur and Aarsha Mohan.

You can watch the video here and listen to the song here.

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. In addition to ‘Khamoshi’, Ritviz will release 21 songs – two collaborative albums, one each 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 happy with how it has finally turned out. It’s exciting, and I’m also relieved to start sharing all this music that I have been working on,” he adds.

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.