Kayan wants you to be curious

“I’m messing with you, Ananya,” Kayan cuts me off when I ask her age (and instantly regret it). “There’s this running joke I have online where I tell people I’m over 40. It’s really funny because I’m like, why do they keep asking me my age?”

Born Ambika Nayak and raised in Mumbai, Kayan’s childhood sounds like almost straight out of Malgudi Schooldays [by RK Narayan]. “During my summer holidays in Tanjore [now Thanjavur], I’d pick flowers in the garden, feed kittens and puppies on the street, water the backyard plants, and drink Boost on the terrace,” she shares. Does this sound like she’s speaking in tongues, iPad kids?

This calm, almost old-school upbringing was far from ordinary. Creativity pulsed through the walls of her home—her mother was a Hindustani singer, her grandmother a Kathak dancer, and her aunt a writer. “I grew up around a lot of creative people—

And do her own thing she did. From being one-half of the duo Nothing Anonymous to performing with experimental band Kimochi Youkai, it was during the COVID era that Kayan flipped her surname and released her first solo single, Please.

I ask how different Kayan is from Ambika. Is it a Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus kind of thing?

“I have to switch off from anything personal or emotionally draining when I become Kayan,” she says. “We’re all adulting—I’ve got things to do at home, bills to pay, chores to manage. Sometimes life doesn’t go my way, but I have to flip a switch and become this person who, in a way, is also an escape for me.”

In her cover interview, Kayan and I begin with the obvious:

Cosmopolitan India: Is there anything you can’t do? 

Kayan: I can’t whistle, which is really upsetting. It genuinely bothers me. So yes, I hate to admit it, but I can’t bloody whistle. 

C: Do you think women can have it all? 

K: Women can—and should—have it all. I realise I come from a place of privilege where I’ve had the freedom to make certain choices. But we’re at a time when women are fighting to make names for themselves, and I think it’s crucial for a woman to be fully independent and forge her own path. There’s no stopping us now—and I don’t say that as a cliché. Look around. The world just has to make space for us. They’ve got no choice. 

C: What do you do on a day off? 

K: Ideally, I’d love to wake up, head to a coffee shop, spend time in a park, lie on the grass, breathe in fresh air, maybe take my cats out, grab another snack, have another coffee...you get the vibe. Unfortunately, we don’t really have that kind of space in Bombay, so I usually just imagine it all from my couch. What I do want to do more of this year is travel—just for fun. 

C: How many cats do you have? 

K: Three—all adopted. They all came to me at different points in my life when I needed healing and they’ve saved me over and over again. 

C: Do you have a dream collaboration? 

K: So many, but number one has to be Jorja Smith. She’s such a baddie. I’ve loved her for years, and I’d love to hear our voices together on a track—and see us in a music video too. 

C: What is inspiring you right now? 

K: As much as I want the success, fame, and money, I think I’m leaning more towards creating things that make people feel good. I want to be able to do something positive, make people feel something. Sometimes there’s a song that I’ll have on repeat because I’m going through a phase in my life and I feel nobody and nothing can understand me better than the song I’m listening to. I hope that I can be that for someone and I think that’s what’s really inspiring me and pushing me to do more. 

C: Can you walk us through your creative process? 

K: I pen down feelings, thoughts, and emotions that I randomly feel, and make little voice notes of that. And then when we sit down to work, I’ll pull up my little notes app or my little diary wherever I’ve written a bunch of things and I will decide what I’m feeling like that day and I’ll take it from there. It’s very organic, it’s very in the moment.

C: If you had to name the current era of your life, what would you call it? 

K: My ‘hard-soft baddie era’. 

C: What was it like opening for Ed Sheeran? 

K: Definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I love him as a songwriter—he’s written so many hits, it’s unreal. Whether you know it or not, you’ve heard his music. I performed in front of around 30,000 people at a stadium in Shillong. 

C: What do fans don’t know about you, besides your age? 

K: That I’m actually really chill. People are often surprised when they meet me. I’m like, did you expect me to show up with a whip and start yelling? I’m pretty transparent. I’m vocal about the things I believe in and choose to speak about on social media. But as my audience has grown, I do feel more responsible—and more mindful. I think fans see a curated version of me, and I’d love to break that wall more over the next few years. 

C: Any quirky pre-show rituals? 

K: I hate talking to people before going on stage. I like to centre myself in silence—but that rarely happens. There’s always someone chatting away. 

C: What is your favourite song right now? 

K: Wifey Riddim by Shygirl, Jorja Smith, and SadBoi. 

C: Tell us about your upcoming EP Is Love Enough? 

K: ‘Is love enough?’ is a question I kept coming back to—it’s led me to write about so many stages and types of love: The sneaky kind, the greedy kind, the f*ck-you kind, the ‘could this be real?’ kind. The music videos of the EP are really fun too—I’m big on visuals. I can’t wait for people to hear it and see it. 

C: What would you say has changed for the better and something that still needs a lot of work in the Indian music industry? 

K: There’s definitely more space for new artists now, which is great. But I do think we need better systems in place. It’s tough out there, and you’ve got to tread carefully. Sure, trial and error is part of it, but a more supportive structure would make a big difference. 

C: What do you think has been your greatest achievement so far and have you had an ‘I made it’ moment yet? 

K: I haven’t had that moment yet. Honestly, I feel like the day I do, it might be the end for me—it feels like a bit of a curse! But my greatest achievement is being able to run my life independently. I’ve figured things out for myself, and now I’m blessed with amazing support—a beautiful family and incredible friends.

Editor: Pratishtha Dobhal (@pratishtha_dobhal)
Digital Editor: Sonal Ved (@sonalved)
Interview: Ananya Rai (@anniiiiiiiee)
Photographer: Sarang Gupta (@saranggupta)
Stylist: Surbhi Shukla (@surbhishukla)
Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Makeup Artist: Richelle Fernandes (@makeupbyriiiiii)
Hair Artist: Bhakti Lakhani (@bhaktilakhani)
Set Design: Janhavi Patwardhan (@theartnut_j)
Assistant Stylist: Lehan Devadhia (@lehandevadhiaa)
Assistant Hair Artist: Isha Kothari (@makeupbyishakothari)
Assistant Makeup Artist: Rutu Pathak (@rutu1203)
Artist PR Agency: Represent Management (@representmgmt)

On Kayan: Lace top and skirt, Leh Studios (@leh.studios); quilted corset, Bodements (@bodements_); necklaces, Swarovski (@swarovski); Wendy Espadrille woven shoes in black, HEYDUDE (@heydude_india)