kayan

Between fandoms and aesthetic-setting live shows, artist Ambika Nayak talks about wanting to put out an album

- Anurag Tagat

"I'LL SEE SOMEONE WHO'S HOLDING THAT [KAYAN SUPREMACY] SIGN UP AND THEY'LL BE SMILING AND IT MAKES MY DAY AND I'M LIKE 'OKAY, LET'S GO. I GOT THIS. I GOT YOU.""

IF YOU WEREN'T yet familiar with the term 'Kayan Supremacy' you'll find it emblazoned on a phone screen that's raised up in the air during any of the Mumbai's artist's rager DJ sets. Crafting a set for the dance-floor has been one of Kayan aka Ambika Nayak's more recent pursuits. She started out in indie band Kimochi Youkai while also studying at True School of Music, all between 2016 and 2018.

Since then, there's been modeling, voice-over work, and acting that has helped Kayan thrive in different artistic formats - on stage, on screen and from the studio. Inspired by pop and R&B artists like Jorja Smith, Kali Uchis and more, Kayan stepped out into a more collab-heavy 2023 with rappers like Yashraj and Yung Raja, producer Karan Kanchan and pop artist AB!. She closed out the year with the openhearted "Plenty," one of her most vulnerable songs to date.

For all the wandering done last year collaboration-wise, plus performing with her band at the Asia Song Festival in South Korea - Kayan is spending 2024 with a different kind of focus. Excerpts:

Rolling Stone India: What has the past year been like with releases and gigs for you? What do you feel has sharpened for you as a skill?

Kayan: I still feel like when it comes to the skill set of DJing or singing, it's just a never-ending practice. So I want to focus a lot more on both this year. I wasn't able to do that last year, because I was playing so much that when you're touring almost every weekend, it's hard to be in a headspace to just sit and write, even though I did try and I challenged myself. I did put out three songs and the songs are a lot more me than I think I have ever felt or sounded like before.