Vasundhara Made a Self-Help Song for Artists

While independent artists grapple with the relentless demands of social media algorithms and the mental toll of digital validation, jazz powerhouse Vasundhara Vee tries a different tack with her latest release, “Junk The Blame.”

The song acknowledges the all-too-familiar struggle but also intends to offer a way to heal. “The song is half a self-help song, really,” Vasundhara says over a Zoom call. Co-composed by bassist and guitarist Saurabh Suman (also the unlikely protagonist of its accompanying music video, although he had enrolled at the National School of Drama in New Delhi). “He’s been an invisible hand in everything I do. Now it’s just much more obvious,” she says.

Vasundhara, who last released “Run” with composer-producer Dhruv Ghanekar in 2021 and went on to take on more film music projects as well as expand her reach as a vocal coach, says “Junk The Blame” began as a response to one of her students’ creative crises.

Just over four years ago, the artist got a call from one of her vocal students, who, despite practicing religiously and consistently releasing music, was getting nowhere online. “He was in this state of brokenness, saying, ‘Am I not cut out for this? No matter what I do, am I not good enough?’” Vasundhara recalls. The call sparked the initial lyrics, but it would take years of personal therapy, journaling, and spiritual study for the song to evolve into something that addressed how artists are caught between what Vasundhara calls “hustle mentality and purpose mentality.” She explains, “A hustle is like, ‘I’m going to do this despite the world being against me.’ Purpose mentality is that you’re consistent and you’re full of energy just because you’re so deeply in love and you’re not resisting the world.”

Steeped in Vasundhara’s versatile vocal style and groovy jazz songwriting, the song was co-produced by Rohan Rajadhyaksha and Jehangir Jehangir. Sure, she issues a takedown of those chasing virality, but Vasundhara is still an advocate for social media’s potential. “I found three of my mentors on social media. I’ve found a lot of great resources online that have changed my life. I’m actually a lobbyist for the positive aspect of social media,” she says.

The music video directed by filmmaker Karan Takulia and shot by director of photography Jason Vaz brought Suman back to his acting days, which Vasundhara says came to him naturally. “The only part he had to act out was thinking negatively, because he’s not a guy who ever thinks negatively, even if he tries,” the vocalist adds with a laugh.

The video also includes three entrepreneurs, perhaps in a bid to ground the song’s message in real-world examples. “I didn’t want the song to be just advice. I didn’t want it to be preachy,” Vasundhara says. New Delhi mainstay venues The Piano Man’s Arjun Sagar Gupta, entrepreneur Gaurangana Sood, and architect/chef Vineet Mathur were all people that Vasundhara knows personally who “embody that purpose-driven life” and “resolutely stay on the side of love and purpose” despite challenges.

With over 91,000 views on YouTube, “Junk The Blame” has become Vasundhara’s most popular solo song right now. “For the first time ever, people are messaging me back the lyrics that I’ve written, and my heart is just melting,” she says.

While it’s been four years between songs, Vasundhara says there’s been a shift in her approach and has more music she wants to put out this year as a follow-up. Like “Junk The Blame,” the artist says she wants her songs to be like a “practical companion to people.” She adds, “I want to create a body of work that people can use not just as a balm but as a tool for their lives to go forward.”