He started his music career on Youtube and went on to give fans the party anthem of 2015 with Baaki Baatein Peene Baad. From then on Arjun Kanungo has been displaying his versatility as a singer and performer with songs like Fursat, Ek Dafaa and Gallan Tipsiyaan. The singer most recently collaborated with Coke Studio Pakistan sensation Momina Mustehsan for the song Aaya Na Tu. As of now, the song has crossed over 20 million views on Youtube and counting. Talking about the huge response received by the song Arjun told News18.com, "It's amazing that within a week of its release the song crossed over 15 million views. I'm excited about the response. It's unbelievable, I did believe in the song but never thought it will reach this huge number in such a short span."
On being asked how he came up with the idea of collaborating with Momina for the song, he says, "I came up with the song and Momina's suggestion came from the Universal Music. They suggested that I should do a collaboration with her and after listening to her work, I thought her voice fit in the composition. Then I met her and everything worked out for good."
The song has been getting love from fans in India as well as listeners in Pakistan. Elaborating more on his idea of contributing with the Pakistani singer, he says, "I am very proud Indian but I didn't compose the song looking into this angle. I feel that music is something that should unite people. It should be about love and unity. Art, in general, has to be above politics. The song is not about India-Pakistan relation, it's just two people from different countries doing a collaboration."
"She was just the best fit for the song. In a way it's nice that people from both the countries are liking and appreciating the song," he further adds.
Arjun feels music has the power to mend bridges and gives a creative space to the music creator as well as to the listener. "Music is a culture in itself. We go to it when we want peace and express our creativity. For me, it's my purpose. Music has given me a really good reason to live. I also think it also lets me express myself to people in a way which I can't do with words," he says.
In a digital age, when everybody has the chance of posting any content online, Arjun stands by the right of free speech and expression. He doesn't think there's a need for a filter on who can create content and who cannot. "Freedom of expression trumps everything. I understand some people misuse the platform but the internet has its own regularisation for such people," he says.
Sharing his thoughts on the 'meme culture' and 'viral content' on Internet, he says, "I don't think it's that easy to go viral. People try very hard to make a mark in the minds of so many people. It's not easily repeatable. Though, people with no talent going viral have an unstable business model. With no talent involved, people tend to forget about you soon enough. In the end, even controversial content needs talent in any form to survive."
The singer is currently busy with his debut film, the details of which are yet to be revealed. He's also planning to release more singles in the coming months.
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