Singer-songwriter Nikhil D’Souza artfully balances a career as a Bollywood playback singer with personal songs melding heartfelt Indian indie and Western pop sounds. • The artist taught himself guitar at a young age. He eventually studied geology at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai and worked different jobs before he found his artistic calling. • He got a coveted break in Bollywood through an advert, which caught the attention of music director Amit Trivedi. The music director featured D’Souza alongside Neuman Pinto on the acoustic love ballad “Sham” from 2010’s Aisha. • A steady supply of tracks ensued, with D’Souza performing over both acoustic sounds and pulsating EDM. Notable tracks include “Mere Bina” (2010’s Crook), “O Gujariya” with Shefali Alvares (2014’s Queen) and the title track from Phir Se… (2018), a romantic duet with Shreya Ghoshal. • D’Souza also delivered solo releases such as alt-rock EP Simple Kind of Love (2018). • The artist’s seamless shift between styles owes a lot to an array of formative Western pop and rock influences. In his catalogue, much-loved Indian pop hit “Vaaste” (a duet with Dhvani Bhanushali) rubs shoulders with touching covers of Simon & Garfunkel and a-ha. • Seeking to further explore Indian indie terrain, he released Waqt (2020), an intimate, largely bedroom-bound gem completed during lockdown. • In 2021, D’Souza covered the John Lennon song “India, India” for The Beatles and India, a film zooming in on the band’s mind-broadening journey to his homeland.