It’s not uncommon for aspiring musicians to head down the academic route as they seek to fulfil their musical dreams. But few hit the ground running after graduation quite as spectacularly as Abhijay Sharma. He was barely out of university with a Bachelor’s degree in music when he hooked up with Riar Saab on “Obsessed”—a song the pair had initially collaborated on during Sharma’s college days, when he came up with its inspired hook. Once the track winged its way out into the world, it became a runaway success, and an unlikely one at that. As Sharma himself said at the time: “It feels great to see the song that you made in your bedroom breaking all the charts worldwide.” It was a global triumph that set the tone for his career—its appeal proving both the singer-songwriter’s social media savvy and his genre-fluid adaptability when it comes to his production style. Sharma followed up that viral monster in 2023 with “Qissa”, a gorgeous love ballad that allowed him to demonstrate his chops not only as a musician but as a storyteller too. It marks out Sharma—whose earlier collab work included atmospheric 2021 charmer “Bin Tere” with Karun—as an exciting songwriting talent who should only improve with age.