At the first listen of Aankhon, chances are you’ll do a double take. After all, the gentle melody is nothing like the songs belted out by singer Dhvani Bhanushali so far. Collaborating with OAFF, Savera, and lyricist Ankur Tewari, she has crafted a number that blends emotional depth with an experimental edge. “I think I got slightly cooler with this song,” Bhanushali says with a smile, admitting that Aankhon marks a shift in her music. “I went niche with it, and for once, I didn’t seek too many opinions. I just loved it and wanted to put it out. So, I did.”

Aankhon, she reveals, is one of the two songs the musicians made together in 2024. “This one sounded fresh. We felt like writing about how we make different connections throughout life; Ankur started penning the lyrics, and the structure just kept forming. As soon as we heard the final version, we related to it immediately. There was something [novel] in the sound — a space I hadn’t explored before,” she recalls.

Kabeer Kathpalia aka OAFF; Savera; Ankur Tewari. Pics/AFP, Instagram