Kaaga is a song about a crow. a bird that’s everywhere, staring into us, cawing amongst themselves. It started as a moment of curiosity, a quiet observation, and turned into something more.

Vaishnav Vyas who wrote the lyrics, found a strange companionship in these birds. “I found that it's possible to become friends with them,” he says, “and while exploring that possibility, I found these words. Crows are known to bring gifts to their humans, and this song, in a way, is that gift to me.” The song explores human skepticism, hope, and the release of self-doubt.

The making of Kaaga was simple and spontaneous. Nomsita Haritashya was playing a riff on the guitar. Vaishnav handed over a set of words. The words already had a natural rhythm, and Renee Chaurasia sang the first thing that came to mind.

The first line — ped ki daal pe ek kaua baitha hai came casually. “It’s funny to think this is the first line of my first song,” says Renee. “I loved it. The audience has no idea what they’re in for — a song about a crow?”

Renee approached the melody with a simple intention making it singable and unassuming. For the rest she shares, “My approach to composing is like walking down a path I’ve never been on before, and the words are the light that helps me see it through. Step by step, together, we end up finding the song or rather the song finds us”. 

Kaaga re is a call to the crow and that image stayed with Renee as she built the melody and sound around it.

Most of the instrumentation, acoustic and electric guitars, cajon, and keys was explored during a live jam, before the production began. Once it did, Renee spent the first two days only listening to sounds that could fit the world of Kaaga. “I remember spending an entire hour just finalising the sound of the crow’s caw for the opening of the song,” she recalls with a laugh. The layering followed — keys first, then guitars with Nomsita. The song organically found its own direction from there.

With all the elements in place, the next step was stripping back layers to retain only what served the song. “That part was especially difficult for me,” she admits. “I have a tendency to overcrowd, but it was crucial to keep things minimal and intentional.”

The vocal arrangements were especially important on this project because that is Renee’s playground of choice. On this song she shares that she wanted them to feel full “almost a chorus of voices speaking directly to the listener.”

For the mix, Devashish Ray was on the console, making everything sound crisp and clean. It took multiple sessions to get it right, the song had many layers, and each one had to sit just right. But it was worth the time.

Kaaga took three months to come to life for the three friends who began the song in their little room in Bombay— and she credits the crow for making it all happen. 

Nomsita approached the artwork the same way she approaches most of her creations — like a game. “Each drawing is to see whether there’s a knob within that I can turn that hasn’t been turned before.” The artwork for Kaaga began with a blank canvas on the iPad, a looming deadline, and the song on loop in the background.

The Artists

Renee Chaurasia is a student of music — a singer, composer, and performer. She has been around Indian classical music for most of her life, and that immersion has shaped the way she listens, learns, and composes. She approaches music playfully — seeing notes as puzzle pieces, and each composition as a chance to create a new picture. Kaaga is her first creation, and she hopes it finds a place in the hearts of listeners.

Nomsita is an artist born in Jaipur and now based in Bombay. She creates across mediums — sitting with her guitar to come up with tunes, picking up a marker to draw her thoughts, or shooting the world around her with a camera. She carries the spirit to throw herself into any form of expression, embracing experimentation at every step.

Vaishnav Vyas, also from Jaipur, is a writer who has found his home in Bombay. A playwright, lyricist, and actor, he has been a performer since childhood — first pushed on stage by his parents, and later finding his own voice in the world of arts. 

Song Credits:

Lyrics, backing vocals: Vaishnav Vyas (@vaishnav.vyas )

Lead Composition & Vocals, Music production & Arrangement, backing vocals: Renee Chaurasia (@Renee.chaurasia )

Co-Composer, Acoustic guitars, backing vocals: Nomsita MS Haritashya (@nomsitaharitashya )

Recording Engineer, Mixing: Devashish Ray

Electric Guitars: Ritik Mehta ( @ritikmehtaa )

Percussion: Kanishk Ajmera ( @kanishk.ajmera )

Bass: Jeet Pathak ( @bass_ki_aawaz_kesi_hoti_hai )

Mastering: Pulkit Jain ( @pulkitxjain )

Visuals made with love by @swapnalokstudio

Camera operator @punyasodhi