From listening to ’90s rock while travelling with his parents in Kolkata to recording his debut album in Berlin, 21-year-old singer-songwriter Aditya Majumdar’s musical journey has been an eventful one, landing him an opening gig in a Vir Das show and paving the way for his own albums.
At the age of 14, Aditya joined the Bengali band Waiting List as a guitarist, opening for some of Kolkata’s biggest names like Fossils, Lakkhichhara, Bickram Ghosh, Ritviz and Girish And The Chronicles.
Cut to 2025, Aditya performed at Skinny Mo's Jazz Club in Kalighat on Sunday as Hulo — a nickname, and now a stage name, his grandmother gave him when he was a kid.
A Calcutta International School alumnus, Aditya’s love for music began early in life, encouraged by his parents and his grandmother, who gifted him his first guitar in 2012.
Aditya’s music juggles various genres — indie pop, acoustic folk, rock and blues. Artistes like Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Jeff Buckley and Joni Mitchell and The 1975 have had major influences on his work, in which he explores themes like heartbreak, alcoholism, substance abuse and anxiety.
Damage Control, released in 2023, marked Aditya’s first EP, where he focused on his feelings of self-doubt and heartbreak. He followed it up with another EP titled Silvertown and three latest singles — Light and Sound, Golden and To Be Me.
Growing up, he performed in several music competitions, most of which didn’t go as planned, Aditya said. It wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic when Hulo began sharing covers on social media and eventually started playing at cafes and bars.
Despite spending time abroad, Aditya stays true to his roots in Kolkata. “Growing up in Calcutta has played a huge role in my upbringing and as an aspiring artist too. Kolkata has such a rich heritage, and we have an abundance of art and creativity. I can’t imagine being from here and not being affiliated with the arts. The lanes of Calcutta have constantly inspired me because I love colours and our city is so vibrant,” he said.
“Lately I feel like the city could use a change in the ecosystem for arts because living has become more and more expensive,” Aditya, who is set to release his debut album Griefcase in August, added.
With three singles and an album lined up, 2025 is a big year for Aditya, who loves travelling, films and photography besides music. He also plans to tour across India and dreams of performing in all the five continents.
This year, Aditya is set to release a hindi track and a bunch of collaborative songs with his friend Dipan Basak, in Kolkata, the city that started it all for the budding singer.
