“Kahe Sataye” by Abby V and Ricky Kej

In a spellbinding collaboration that marries emotion with tradition, “Kahe Sataye” brings together the exceptional talents of Abby V, Grammy Award-winning composer Ricky Kej, and the captivating voice of Pratibha Singh Baghel. This musical masterpiece, which artfully employs the Raags Pilu and Miyan Malhar, has swiftly garnered acclaim for its profound emotional depth and its celebration of classical Indian music traditions.

“Kahe Sataye” delves into themes of yearning and the complexities of love, encapsulating the essence of these emotions through its lyrical depth and the rich, evocative melodies of the featured raags. Pratibha Singh Baghel’s enchanting vocals breathe life into the composition, adding a layer of soulful expression that complements Abby V’s nuanced vocal delivery and Ricky Kej’s innovative musical direction.

Speaking to Abby about the song he said,” This was on of the first tunes Ricky had sent me when we had started working on this album. The basic melody itself struck a chord in me – it was so catchy and earthy. It seemed familiar yet innovative; and my mind of course started relating it to ragas like Pilu and Miyan Malhar which reflect so beautifully throughout the song. I immediately recorded my vocals and worked for hours on the ornamentation and emotion behind my rendition. A great thing to note with this song is the harmonies we added. Usually for raga-based songs, harmonies are a little tricky to add because they don’t necessarily blend with the melody as intuitively. I tried to tackle that with this song and added layers of intricate harmonies – and the way Ricky has mixed those in the song takes it to a whole new level.”

Pratibha’s vocals were recorded a couple months in and she interpreted the song in such an earthy, beautiful way. As we added the very traditional parts of Konnakkol that complement the Dubstep vibe of the song, the song became one of our favourites in the album. This song is a true representation of what this album stands for: a beautiful coming together of different sounds, styles and cultures.