Pop artist Kushagra has released his latest song “Better With You.” Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Three months after the release of his hit song “Finding You,” Dehradun-origin pop artist Kushagra Thakur (who goes by his first name as an artist) has dropped his latest track, “Better With You.”
Despite the English title, “Better With You” is very much a Hindi song, with lyrics by Chandigarh-based songwriter Saaheal (who also worked on “Finding Her”) and producer Ansh4You. Kushagra presents a carefree and heartfelt romantic approach, a vocal style that, he says, is very new for him. He tells Rolling Stone India, “I’ve never tried singing like this before. The vocals and the style are completely different from what I’ve done earlier, and that’s what excited me.”
When Ansh4You first played Kushagra the beat, the singer was “instantly drawn to it” and hopped on to work on what became “Better With You.” He adds, “I came up with the idea of showing a guy who was really sad and felt empty without the girl in his life. The song starts with that mood. But then it shows how his life changes after she enters it. That’s the most special part of the song—it shows how someone’s presence can make your life better.”
The track arrives just as all eyes were on Kushagra to follow up “Finding Her,” which ranked at number 19 on Spotify’s Global Viral Songs after it released at the end of January this year. Kushagra is still wrapping his head around the success of the track, calling it “life-changing.” He says, “I got so many new listeners and so many people joined our music family. On Instagram, I received a lot of messages saying, ‘We listen to it on loop,’ or ‘It’s the first thing we play in the morning,’ and even ‘We listen to it before sleeping.’ Fans tagged me and messaged me so much, and it gave me confidence that people are really connecting with my music.”
The success is not just Kushagra’s alone. “Finding Her” involved singer-producer Bharath and Saaheal as well. “When more creative minds come together, the result is always better,” Kushagra says. The breezy love song started with Bharath’s beat and led to Kushagra taking over as composer. Bharath had stepped away to the kitchen, and came back to find Kushagra playing what he had built upon. “Then we worked on the lyrics, recorded a rough version, and later I sent it to Saaheal in Chandigarh. I felt like I needed another mind on it — someone who could bring a new angle or direction to the song,” he says.
Kushagra first built a following through his covers and mashups on Instagram and YouTube, before his 2022 breakout track “Stalk” with Punjabi singer-songwriter Gurnazar made him one to watch out for. Songs like “Barsaat” and “Dard” further solidified his place as a hitmaker, with millions more streams pouring in for the charming single “Baawra” with singer Tanishka Bahl in 2024. Kushagra agrees that he’s had the support of “some amazing artists, mainly in the form of guidance” from the likes of Gurnazar and Punjabi artist Jassie Gill as he transitioned from being known as a cover artist to a pop singer-composer. “They shared their experiences and taught me things I should avoid based on their own journeys,” he adds.
Up next, Kushagra is planning an India tour and more music. He says, “I’m working on a lot of new songs and collaborations, and yes—I’ll be touring India. You’ll hear all about my 2025 plans very soon.”
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