💿 NEW ALBUM ALERT!

🌌✨ BIG NEWS: My new album INDIGO comes out February 7, 2025! ✨🌌

This project has been a journey of sound and self-discovery for me—crafted with love, late nights, and a lot of soul. Each track is a piece of my world, painted in shades of indigo. It is a merging of the two cultures that make up my life.

I’ve often said that I had the best of both worlds growing up: Indian and American. As I grow older I realize that those two worlds show up in every aspect of my life, especially in the art I appreciate and the sounds that resonate with me. INDIGO brings all of these aspects together in one collection. Stylistically, it blurs the boundaries between pop, electronica, folk, chillout, new age, ambient, and Bollywood. At the same time, many of the melodies are inspired by some of my favorite ragas: Bhimpalasi, Bageshri, Charukeshi, Bhup, and others.

🎤 The album also features collaborations with some very talented friends from both India and America. I'll be sharing more about them soon!

🎶 Stay tuned for sneak peeks and special surprises. I can’t wait to share this music with you.

💙 Let’s go on this journey together. Please help me spread the word and let’s make some magic!

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Ekach Ya Janmi Janu 2.0 OUT NOW!

EKACH YA JANMI JANU 2.0… a classic reimagined, featuring 40+ musicians and recorded on 3 continents!

Sung by Sharayu Date and Shreyas Bedekar.

Newly arranged, composed, and mixed by Nitish Kulkarni.

Musicians:
Budapest Art Orchestra (String Ensemble)
Shruti Bhave (Violin)
Manish Kulkarni (Bass, Guitar, Mandolin)
Nitish Kulkarni (Tabla)

Strings orchestrated by Enrique Ponce.

Additional lyrics by Sameer Jirankalgikar.

Production Coordinator: Shreyas Bedekar

Executive Producers: Nitish Kulkarni & Kritika Murli

Originally sung by Asha Bhosle.
Originally composed by Sudhir Phadke.
Original lyrics by Sudhir Moghe.

Conceptualized and directed by Nitish Kulkarni.

Ekach Ya Janmi Janu 2.0 // एकाच या जान्मी जणू 2.0

Last summer, I had the crazy idea to readapt one of my favorite Marathi songs of all time, “Ekach Ya Janmi Janu,” composed by Sudhir Phadke and sung by Asha Bhosle for the movie “Pudhcha Paool.”

Released in the 1980s, the song was ahead of its time in many ways I feel. A very modern arrangement—for its time— featuring a beautiful string section that is just barely audible in the original recording. “What if it was recorded using today’s latest recording technology?” I asked myself. Soon that was followed by the thought: “…what if I just recorded it myself?”

I had wanted to do an international collaboration project bringing together artists from India, Europe, and North America. “Ekach Ya Janmi Janu 2.0” is that dream project. It is a readapted version of the Marathi classic, transformed into a duet with a brand-new stanza written in the style of Sudhir Moghe by the super talented Sameer Jirankalgikar. Sharayu Date and Shreyas Bedekar have both given stellar vocal performances, and I was lucky to record Shruti Bhave on violin and Manish Kulkarni on bass, mandolin, and acoustic guitar as well. The song also features the majestic Budapest Art Orchestra playing several passages from the original song as well as a brand-new string feature and second verse, composed by yours truly and brilliantly orchestrated by my dear friend Enrique Ponce. Recorded in Fort Wayne, Budapest, Mumbai, and Pune, the project is a celebration of the beauty of Marathi music in a globalized world.

Coming later this month… I can’t wait to share “Ekach Ya Janmi Janu 2.0” with you all!

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मागच्या वर्षी माझं अतिशय आवडीचं गाणं, सुधीर फडके यांनी संगीतबद्ध केलेलं आणि आशा भोसले यांनी गायलेलं, "पुढचं पाऊल" या चित्रपटातलं  "एकाच या जन्मी जणू," मला एका नवीन स्वरूपात ध्वनिमुद्रित करायची कल्पना सुचली. 

८० च्या दशकात रिलीज झालेलं हे गाणं काळाच्या खूप पुढे होतं असं मला नेहमी वाटलेलं आहे...  अतिशय मॉडर्न असं संगीत संयोजन, सुंदर स्ट्रिंग्स, जे मूळ ध्वनिमुद्रणात नीट ऐकायलाही येत नाहीत. "आज उपलब्ध असलेल्या रेकॉर्डिंग टेक्नोलॉजी मध्ये हे कसं ऐकू आलं असतं?" असा प्रश्न मला पडला. त्यानंतर लगेच हा विचार आला: "…अरे, हे तर मीच स्वतः करू शकतो!" बरेच दिवस मला भारतातले, युरोप मधले, आणि नॉर्थ अमेरिकेतले कलाकार एकत्र घेऊन एक आंतरराष्ट्रीय प्रोजेक्ट करायचाच होता. "एकाच या जान्मी जणू 2.0" असा हा अविष्कार लवकरच तुमच्या मनोरंजनासाठी येत आहे! 

मूळ गाण्याचं एक युगुलगीत बनवण्यात समीर जिरांकलगीकर दादाचा खूप मोठा हात होता. त्याने सुधीर मोघ्यांच्या मूळ गीतात अगदी चोख बसेल असा एक पुरुषाच्या दृष्टिकोनातला नवीन अंतरा लिहिला आहे. शरयू दाते आणि श्रेयस बेडेकर यांचे सुंदर आवाज या गाण्याला लाभले आहेत. व्हायोलिन वरती श्रुती भावे आणि बेस गिटार, अकोस्टिक गिटार, आणि मॅनडोलिन वरती मनीष कुलकर्णी दादाला सुद्धा ध्वनिमुद्रित करायची संधी मिळाली. त्याचप्रमाणे, बुडापेस्ट आर्ट ऑर्केस्ट्राचे अतिशय कमालीचे व्हायोलिन, व्हीओला, आणि चेलो वादकही या प्रोजेक्टमध्ये समाविष्ट झालेले आहेत. त्यांनी वाजवलेले भाग काही मूळ गाण्यातले आहेत आणि काही मी नव्याने संगीतबद्ध केलेले आहेत. माझ्या मदती साठी एन्रिके पॉन्से या माझ्या मित्राने स्कोर तयार केला. असं हे गाणं फोर्ट वेन, बुडापेस्ट, मुंबई, आणि पुणे अश्या शहरांमध्ये ध्वनिमुद्रित झालं. मराठी संगीताचं सौंदर्य जगात सगळीकडे पसरेल अशी माझी आशा आहे!

लवकरच…!

"Ya Vyakul Sandhyasamayi"

My latest collaboration with Shreyas Bedekar and Milind Date is now out! या व्याकुळ संध्यासमयी is now streaming on all digital music platforms.

This special music video features Marathi calligraphy by the great Achyut Palav himself.

This song is extra special because it was the first composition of Shreyas’s that we worked on together. We began sketching it out in early 2017, were lucky to have the inimitable Milind Date send us flute tracks for it from India, and finally wrapped up the mix late last year.

To all my Marathi friends, enjoy this special treat!

YA VYAKUL SANDHYASAMAYI

Written by the late and great Kavi Grace.

Composed and sung by Shreyas Bedekar.

Bansuri performance by Milind Date.

Arranged, produced, mixed, and mastered by Nitish Kulkarni.

"Log Kehte Hain" (Lounge Mix)

Last month I released a new cover with the one and only Mugdha Vaishampayan! LOG KEHTE HAIN is one of my most favorite ghazals and it was a joy to collaborate across the world with Mugdha remotely, despite the pandemic-era travel restrictions. We hope you enjoy this lounge/ambient mix as much as we enjoyed recording it!

"Adwait"

My latest arrangement for Shreyas Bedekar, titled ADWAIT, is now streaming on all digital music platforms!

"TANHA DIL" - an original mashup!

Recorded during the lockdown in spring 2020, "Tanha Dil" is a collaboration between musicians in three cities: Shreyas Bedekar in Houston, Texas, Vibhuti Kavishwar in Seattle, Washington, and yours truly in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This was a fun project that came about from a desire to collaborate despite not being to visit each other in person last year.

This song features Shaan's 2000 smash hit TANHA DIL and a Hindustani classical bandish in RAGA BHIMPALASI, mashed up in a classical crossover style. We hope you enjoy this unique cover!

Vocals by Shreyas Bedekar and Vibhuti Kavishwar.

Produced, arranged, and mixed by Nitish Kulkarni.

New single: "Saar" now out!

My newest collaboration with singer and composer Shreyas Bedekar and lyricist Prasanna Shanbhag is now available on all digital music streaming platforms!

SAAR is not your typical break-up song. It incorporates elements from a variety of Indian music sub-genres, including folk music and old-school Bollywood, all in the context of modern acoustic pop. The music video features Shreyas’s own photography featuring the lovely Manasi Joshi-Bedekar in a series of evocative stills carefully curated to match the storyboard of the song. We hope you’ll enjoy this retro-yet-fresh new Marathi single!

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SAAR

Lyrics by Prasanna Shanbhag.

Composed and sung by Shreyas Bedekar.

Violin performance by Shruti Bhave.

Produced, arranged, and mixed by Nitish Kulkarni.

Special thanks to Manasi Joshi-Bedekar and Vaibhav Joshi.

"PRABHU" now streaming!

Our new Marathi ghazal PRABHU is now streaming on all digital platforms!

PRABHU is the start of many international collaborations I'm lucky to be a part of this year. It has been such a joy arranging and mixing this music with a beautiful voice like Shreyas’s and amazing session work by the maestros Amar Oak and Prasad Joshi.

The unique concept of a ghazal written in Marathi addressing God himself is incredibly well executed by Sameer Jirankalgikar, with voiceover work by Manasi Joshi-Bedekar as well.

Enjoy and let us know what you think!

Balamwa (feat. Satej Joshi)

Exciting news! My newest project and first collaboration with my dear cousin Satej Joshi is out today!

"Balamwa" is a bandish originally written and composed by our late great-grandfather Pandit V.R. Athavale in the Hindustani Raga Alhaiya Bilawal. Satej and I met up in the United States after meeting several years prior in India, and decided to finally record music together. What better way to collaborate than by sharing our great-grandfather's music? We have reinterpreted his classic melody in a new sound and can't wait to share it with you all.

Special thanks to Shirin Navgire for the amazing artwork for this one – a perfect testament to the minimalist approach Satej and I have taken for this recording.

"Balamwa" is now streaming on SoundCloud as of today, what would have been our Aaba's 102nd birthday. We hope you all with enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Originally composed in Raga Alhaiya Bilawal by Pandit V.R. Athavale, "Balamwa" is a reinterpretation by two of his great-grandsons in a modern, unplugged sound. Credits: Vocals and guitar by Satej Joshi. Engineered, produced, and mixed by NItish Kulkarni. Original artwork by Shirin Navgire.

Kalyan Kari Ramraya

On the occasion of Dasara, Shreyas and I have released a new Marathi abhang. Enjoy!

BHAY ITHALE SAMPAT NAHI - WORLD PREMIERE

Back again with another collaboration, Nitish Kulkarni and Shreyas Bedekar present a unique take on a legendary Marathi classic. “Bhay Ithale Sampat Nahi” features never-before-heard verses from the original poem by famous poet Grace combined with elements from the original song composed by Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar and sung by none other than Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar.

Vocals by Shreyas Bedekar.

Additional composition by Nitish Kulkarni.

Originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Composed by Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar.

Written by Grace.

Produced, arranged, and mixed by Nitish Kulkarni.

"Ye Hridayiche Te Hridayi" – Limited Edition, online!

ये हृदयीचे ते हृदयी (Limited Edition)

घरातल्या उपलब्ध गोष्टींचा वापर करून केलेली आमच्या कार्यक्रमातील काही निवडक गाण्यांची ही मैफिल खास तुमच्यासाठी घेऊन येत आहोत येत्या शुक्रवारी!

Covid 19 Relief Effort Fund Raising च्या उद्देशातून केलेली ही मैफिल तुम्ही तुमच्या सवडीने आणि तुमच्याच घरात बसून अनुभवू शकता.

Mix, Produce, Perform, Repeat

My time at Berklee Valencia was so amazing, and it's wonderful to be able to relive some of that again. Check out my latest interview here!

LCR - "Tu Hai Ke Nahi?"

I recently had the pleasure of mixing the latest single from up and coming Hindi pop/rock band LCR. It’s called “Tu Hai Ke Nahi?” and is available on all platforms today!

Vitthal (Official Music Video)

Recorded and filmed in 6 cities, featuring 15 artists from around the country, this modern day take on an age-old classic is one of the grandest collaborations in Marathi music in the United States.

Featuring:

Akshay Anaokar

Shreyas Bedekar

Vibhuti Chausalkar-Kavishwar

Vivek Chitale

Roopali Deshmukh-Mehendale

Ravi Kolhatkar

Anita Kulkarni

Madhuri Kulkarni

Narendra Kulkarni

Saili Oak

Amit Parchure

Shekhar Phatak

Ashwin Rode

Veena Watwe

Conceptualized, produced, and engineered by Nitish Kulkarni.

Recorded in:

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Houston, Texas

Princeton, New Jersey

Columbus, Ohio

Chicago, Illinois

Los Angeles, California

Mixed and mastered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Special thanks to: Medha & Shirish Kulkarni, Manasi & Shreyas Bedekar, Poornima & Varad Gaikwad, Tejaswini & Shekhar Phatak, Anita & Sudhir Kulkarni, Veena & Ram Watwe, Jayashree & Vivek Chitale, Leena & Shiv Hiremath, Madhuri & Narendra Kulkarni, Roopali & Rahul Mehendale.

“KANADA RAJA PANDHARICHA” from the movie “Zala Mahar Pandharinath” (1970).

Original music by Sudhir Phadke.

Lyrics by G.D. Madgulkar.

Sung by Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande & Sudhir Phadke.

a one-of-a-kind vocal collaboration…

गेल्या २ महिन्यात दौऱ्यावर असताना माझं "behind the scenes" एका नवीन आणि महत्वाकांक्षी project वर काम चालू होतं.

२०१५ पासून देशभर फिरताना मला खूप गुणी आणि कलात्मक असे मित्र सगळीकडे भेटले. त्या सगळ्यांना एकत्र घेऊन एका गाण्याचं ध्वनिमुद्रण करावं असं वाटत होतं. त्याचबरोबर आपल्या मराठी संस्कृतीचा एक अविभाज्य घटक असलेल्या विठ्ठलाच्या अभंगावर वेगळं काहीतरी काम करण्याचीही बरेच वर्षांपासून इच्छा होती. तेव्हा, या दोन्ही कल्पनांना एकत्र आणून एक नवीन प्रकल्प योजण्याचं धाडस यावर्षी केलं आहे.

अमेरिकेतील १५ गुणी कलाकारांच्या सहभागातून साकारलेला असा हा विलक्षण, भव्य अविष्कार लवकरच येत आहे...

।। आषाढी एकादशी २०१९ ।।

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While on tour for the past two months, I was working on a new, ambitious musical project behind the scenes.

Since 2015, I’ve made lots of super talented and artistic friends around the country. I wanted to produce a song in collaboration with them all. For many years I had also wanted to create a song for Vitthal, the deity that is best described as an inseparable part of Marathi culture. I decided to bring both of these ideas together and began working on a new project earlier this year.

A unique, grand project starring 15 singers from all around the US, coming soon… July 2019! Produced and engineered by yours truly.