For new musical artists, breaking into the streaming business is becoming more difficult every day.

The problem is, quite simply, volume. As of last count, there were an estimated 120,000 new tracks being uploaded to major streaming services every day. With that much audio content out there, bringing attention to a new song can just be about impossible for an independent artist.

The problem has become so acute now that, according to data released in July 2023 by Luminate (luminatedata.com), about 42% of all tracks uploaded to streaming services (about 67 million songs) have had fewer than ten plays, and nearly a quarter – 24%, or about 38 million tracks – have had no plays at all.

To overcome this existing problem, which can only become worse once generative artificial intelligence begins to provide its own “recordings”, the focus now appears to beto make music with such disparate sounds that consumers actually listen to it. That’s precisely what the quintet named Kitanu – consisting of Rohan Prasanna (sarod), Siddhant Sarkar (vocals), Omkar Raghupatruni (guitar), Pranav Wahi (bass), and Sarthak Bhardwaj (drummer), has initiated on their latest single, I Don’t Feel A Thing.

The title of the song arrives from a conversation that vocalist Sarkar apparently had with a person who claimedto be suffering from psychopathic tendencies, utilising the words, “I don't feel a thing”, which resulted in the name for the song.

While the influences of grunge and alternative rock does pervade Kitanu’s sound, it is the usage of the sarod, which initially appears to be extremely contrived, that makes the composition sound desperate for attention. Not a bad thing, though, as Kitanu chooses to persevere with it on “I don’t feel a thing” and, by ignoring trends, completely pushes its unique sound in favour of being arock band with a tinge of Indian elements, branching out into new musical genres…

Kitanu’s career is being guided by music consultant Aishwarya Natarajan, founder of Indianuance (indianuance.com).

Released on 6^th December, 2024

Click on the link below to listen to Kitanu’s I Don't Feel A Thing:

https://open.spotify.com/track/0Y8hYXEe3VpskjSBRGhgbm?si=MnDGGEwmTPGtUcmoufhR-Q

Rating: **

Reviewed by Parag Kamani

Parag Kamani has been part of the media and entertainment industry across 35 years, having worked for licensors such as Warner Music and EMI/Virgin in music, as well as Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures in the field of films. Parag continues pursuing his passion as a profession.