Twins Kush (Kushy) and Neil (Neilstar) Nijhawan describe themselves as a “genre-bending pop duo” with elements of hip hop, soul, and Bollywood intended to “appeal to the masses.” Their debut song “Bombay” has reached over 1.5 million views on YouTube and over 400,000 streams on Spotify. The video for their latest single, “Desi Dons,” has been picked up by BET. Twinjabi has released three videos and five singles to date, with 70-80% of their newest song recorded in English.
Although Twinjabi’s star has risen relatively quickly in the music business since they started making their own music in 2018, they are determined to continue putting in the work. “We have studied the various elements of music, and we did our homework,” says Kush. Kush and Neil attended Manual High School, where they dabbled in music. They studied Computer Science in college, Kush at Stanford, and Neil at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kush also has some experience as a DJ. They are proud to incorporate their Indian culture and heritage into their music, but when asked where they are from, Twinjabi claims Louisville. For anyone unfamiliar with their hometown, Kush and Neil invoke Muhammad Ali’s name, which is more recognizable in India than the Kentucky Derby. Twinjabi has filmed all of their videos in Louisville.
As they find their footing in the music industry stateside, we wondered how the pandemic has affected their artistry and career. Kush quotes another boxer, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., “A true champion can adapt to anything.” Twinjabi was in India meeting with record executives when the coronavirus began proliferating around the world. They soldiered on with the help of virtual performances, video play on MTV India and VH1 India, and the October 2020 cover of India’s iconic Fablook magazine. “This time has been a blessing for us with streaming and social media growth,” according to Kush. “We’ve grown from 7,000 to over 50,000 followers on Instagram.”
“Your biggest superpower is being yourself,” says Kush. Neil adds that the plan is to release songs year-round every month, “We’re on track to have our most prolific year this year. 2021 is the year to strike and make our mark.” Any strategy of Twinjabi’s will include ex- pressing themselves to the fullest. Neil invites us to follow Twinjabi’s musical journey, “Always expect the unexpected. You never know what you’re going to get!”
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