Anuv Jain on acknowledging success: 'When we finally get it, the value fizzles out'

Pics/AFP, Instagram

In 2018, we first heard Baarishein. Since then, we have spent many nights listening to Anuv Jain's renditions on repeat, getting lost in his melodies and the emotions he carves out through his singles. Each song rekindles feelings of love and heartbreak. His newest single, Inaam, released late last year, turns inward - speaking about growing up, emotional evolution, and what happens when the chase slows down.

When asked whether the song was written for a version of himself that existed before the echoes of the audience, Jain refuses to choose a single timeline. The song, he explains, holds multiple emotional states at once. "I think Inaam is all of these things because it is a thank you to my audience, family, friends, and the universe for making all of it possible," he explains.

The gratitude he expresses in Inaam also carries a confession that few artistes are comfortable articulating. He agrees that it is a confessional song, saying, "People get to see a part of my life that I haven't really spoken about - the emptiness you feel when you're constantly chasing [something] or not taking a moment to realise what you've achieved," he tells mid-day.

The reward of success, Jain suggests, does not hold meaning on its own; it only acquires value when you choose to acknowledge it. "Fulfilment comes because you assign some value to it. You start caring about what you're doing and you start being happy with these little wins in life. We chase many things with passion, but when we finally get it, that passion or the value of that fizzles out," he reflects.

The realisation that achievement does not automatically translate into contentment did not arrive all at once. For Jain, it "started happening a year and a half ago". Those around him noticed the shift before he fully articulated it himself. "Even though I wasn't really ungrateful for what was going on, the people around me could sense that I was not happy," Jain recalls. "Somebody very close to me [reminded] me that what I have now is something that I wanted so badly." The reminder was simple but necessary, he says, "So at least enjoy it while you have it."

Anuv Jain's hits

>> 2018: ‘Baarishein'
>> 2018: ‘Alag Aasmaan'
>> 2019: ‘Gul'
>> 2019: ‘Ocean'
>> 2020: ‘Riha'
>> 2021: ‘Maula'
>> 2021: ‘Meri Baaton Mein Tu'
>> 2023: ‘Husn'