Kolkata-born singer-songwriter Aruna Chaudhuri, who performs under her first name, headlined a live set at Folklore, Hackney Road, earlier this week, opening with her latest single Thoughts and Therapy, a coming-of-age track that explores the emotional toll of heartbreak.
Her father, novelist Amit Chaudhuri, shared a glimpse of the evening on social media. “My daughter Aruna was the headliner at the Folklore, Hackney Road, on Tuesday night. She plunged us into her set with her composition Thoughts and Therapy,” he wrote alongside a video clip of the performance.
Released last year, Thoughts and Therapy marks Aruna’s fifth single since her 2021 debut Selfish. As per the Rolling Stone magazine, the track produced by Kaja Reidle and Matt J. Barnes draws inspiration from Avril Lavigne’s early 2000s hits.
“This is the chaos I hoped to encapsulate,” Aruna said in a statement to Rolling Stone, “by juxtaposing tearful and heart-wrenching moments from my real life alongside the more sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.” The 25-year-old added that the track was written during a period of personal transition, as she tried to “navigate the world on [her] own again after a break-up.”
Aruna has steadily carved a niche for herself in the UK’s indie-pop circuit, performing alongside X-Factor UK finalist Kevin Davy White and opening for pianist-composer Jools Holland. Last year, she reached the semi-finals of the Isle of Wight Festival competition with her band.
Aruna’s father, Amit Chaudhuri, is not only one of India’s leading literary voices, but also a trained Hindustani vocalist.
