Indie singer Priyanka Nath performs at NCPA’s Home Grown on February 8

When indie musician Priyanka Nath quit her desk job at a startup to pursue music, she did so without expectations. “I just had a deep conviction that the career I stepped away from was a big no for me. I also trusted that I would make it — whatever that meant to me at that age,” says the artiste, who transitioned fully into music in 2020.

She is set to perform new material — a mix of originals and covers — with her ensemble at Home Grown 2026, the National Centre for the Performing Arts’ (NCPA) annual celebration of original voices and independent music, on February 8 in Mumbai. Joining Priyanka on vocals and acoustic guitar are Baidurjya Banerjee on guitars, Sunny Anantarapu on bass, Akshay Athreya on drums, Christopher Francis on keys, and Tarun Krishna as sound engineer. “I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also a little nervous,” she admits.

Though she currently lives in Hyderabad with her parents, being labelled a ‘Hyderabad-based singer’ leaves her unsettled. “I have an identity crisis,” she says, a feeling shaped by a childhood spent moving cities. A native of Assam, Priyanka went to school in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi before relocating to Hyderabad in 2011. “I could move somewhere else next and then be called that,” she says. “So where am I really from?”

Family in music

Carving a niche of her own
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Special Arrangement

Priyanka grew up in a home steeped in music. Her mother was a professional singer with All India Radio, Assam, while her father sings and plays the guitar as a hobby. Although she initially hoped to revisit interests in acting, dance and modelling, singing took centre stage — almost organically — about five and a half years ago. She resists being boxed into a genre, though her current sound leans towards pop.

Themes from life

Album cover
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Special Arrangement

Singing and songwriting come organically to Priyanka, with themes rooted in personal experience. Heartbreak, introspection and the struggle with inner demons run through her album Falling from Grace, released in May 2025. “It may seem like a heartbreak album, but it’s really about how those experiences changed me,” she says.

Her music, she feels, resonates most with a slightly older audience — listeners in the 25–34 age bracket who have lived through difficult phases and can grasp emotional complexity. “In the bridge of my songs, I try to turn the chapter around,” she explains. “If I hadn’t gone through certain experiences or thoughts, I wouldn’t be able to write these songs.”

Priyanka Nath performs alongwith her band at Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMAC) in September 2025
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Special Arrangement

While she is consciously moving away from writing overtly melancholic material, even her heavier themes are often paired with upbeat, electronic-driven compositions. Red Flag, one of her favourites, is a case in point, taking on a rock avatar in her live performances. Describing her songwriting process, she says, “Sometimes a melody comes first and I save it on my phone, and sometimes the lyric comes first and I build a melody around it. The best is when both arrive together.”

For 2026, Priyanka’s guiding principle is simple: take it slow. “Music is constantly evolving,” she says. “Instead of rushing, I want to give myself the time to write and find new ways to present my music.”