Anuv Jain Teams Up with AP Dhillon for Heartfelt Punjabi Track ‘Afsos’ in First-Ever Collaboration

Anuv Jain, a musical powerhouse in India, is back with his thirteenth single, “Afsos,” marking a special moment in his discography as he introduces Punjabi back into his discography. 

Jain, who has been selling out arenas across India, teams up with the Punjabi rap icon AP Dhillon on “Afsos”—a track that tells a story of regret and lost love, staying true to Jain’s signature heartfelt storytelling and lyricism.

This marks Jain’s first-ever collaboration in his long career, making the moment even more special. The two artists first shared the stage in Chandigarh, where they performed Afsos together ahead of its release.

Afsos holds deep personal significance for Jain, as it marks his return to Punjabi music after a decade—his last Punjabi track being “Maula.” In an exclusive conversation with The Knockturnal, Jain shares his excitement about the release, the song’s emotional depth, and the fast-paced collaborative process behind its creation. Read the full interview below.

The Knockturnal: Anuv! Congratulations on your 13th single! Some consider 13 a lucky number—how are you feeling about this release? Are there any new or different emotions tied to this track?

Anuv Jain: I’m not sure whether 13 is considered a lucky number, but honestly I’m feeling really good about this release. I’ve already heard it thousands of times and the energy around me is amazing since my entire team loves the song.

There will always be new emotions tied with releases, and because this one is the first time I’m ever working with somebody else, it kind of feels very special. I get to share this moment with someone else. I’m really excited about that and I’m looking forward to seeing how it does.

The Knockturnal: “Afsos” is written in Punjabi… It’s been a while since your last Punjabi track! What was it like writing in Punjabi again? What excites you most about it?

Anuv: It’s been a while – possibly more than a decade since I last wrote in Punjabi, (which is crazy). The last Punjabi track written by me was “Maula.” Fun fact – I’ve studied Punjabi because I’m from Punjab and I had Punjabi as my second language. But because it’s been so long since I’ve used it, I had forgotten so much of it.

Even though everything slowly started coming back to me while I was writing the song, I was constantly checking with my friends who spoke it, “Is this grammatically correct?”,  “I hope that this is fine”, “Poetically, does this work?”  and things like that. So it was quite fun to be writing in that language once again.

What excites me the most about it is that I think that Punjabi is a beautiful language – especially for poetry. The words just flow so beautifully into one another.

The Knockturnal: This collaboration with AP Dhillon is huge! Was this something you had been hoping to do for a while with AP, especially since it’s your first-ever collaboration? What was it like working with him?

Anuv: It’s crazy because two years ago, my manager and I were discussing who I’d love to work with and I mentioned AP’s name. I didn’t do anything about it at that time, but I love how the universe just works so beautifully because look at us now, we’re doing a song together and it’s just been such an incredible experience. AP is a dream to work with because he’s so kind and so nice and has all these brilliant ideas. We had some fun brainstorming with different takes of what the song could sound like. Ultimately the song is at a 100, and it’s because we did this together.

The Knockturnal: I saw on Instagram that it took just two hours to write AP’s lyrics. Is that typical for your songwriting process? What made this session so efficient and special?

Anuv: I usually take much longer to make a song, but what worked so well for this case was- I had already made the song and had my verse in. When I played it for them, they were immediately on board and asked us to give them a few hours to add to the whole song.

We literally went to get lunch and within two hours, AP called us back and said he had his part ready. They played it for us and I had goosebumps because I knew we had what we needed. I think the reason why it was so fast and efficient was because we already had our starting point set. Honestly, AP and Shinda are so talented and they are so good at this without losing the quality of their work. 

The Knockturnal: The lyrics and production in “Afsos” capture the heartbreak and longing beautifully. How do you tap into these emotions when creating music?

Anuv: Whenever I’m working on these songs, I always think back on a time when I felt a certain way, focusing on “What was my reaction like?” or  “What emotions were going through me while I was going through this?”.

I think that makes it easier for me to start writing, drawing words from moments and similar stories.

When it comes to production, we already know the kind of mood or feeling we’re going for. For Afsos, it was about longing. So you know there’s gonna be cellos, beautiful pianos and guitars. So I think it’s just a very natural process. It’s just drawing from what you’ve gone through and trying to put it into words.

The Knockturnal: The reaction video you posted with AP and the team was so wholesome. Can you describe what this release means to you?

Anuv: I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for a release. And there are so many reasons for it – this being my first collaboration and I get a chance to work with AP. As I mentioned, I’m from Punjab, and I’ve been listening to his music for a while now – possibly four years now.

The funny thing is, whenever I go to the gym, his music is playing. Whenever I’m driving around or hanging out with my friends, we’re listening to AP’s tracks. He’s been a part of so much of my life and now we’re working together.  It’s wild to me. And at the same time, the song in itself as a whole is very special. I really hope that people will listen to it and they’ll be able to feel the lyrics and they’ll be able to relate to those.

The Knockturnal: Your career you’ve been deemed with recognitions like Forbes India’s 30 Under 30 and GQ India’s 35 Most Influential Young Indians… As this song kicks off 2025, what do you hope to achieve moving forward into the new year?

Anuv: I just want to make the most beautiful songs and release as much music as possible. Anything that comes my way because of that, I would accept it.

The Knockturnal: What are your hopes for this release from the response to “Afsos” so far? Is there a specific message you want to convey to your fans?

Anuv: I hope it reaches everybody and everybody gives it a chance. I just want them to hear the song at least once. But talking about the response, I think it’s just been crazy because everybody is instantly falling in love with the song and my team has been so energetic when it comes to this release and everybody’s just looking forward to it. So I hope that  translated to the audience as well

And if I were to say something to my audience, I would just say this once again, I hope that you’ll at least listen to it once and if you like it, please continue listening. And if it’s not your cup of tea, maybe, you know, I’ll have some other release that will probably be what you’re looking for.

The Knockturnal: Before we wrap up, is there anything you’d like to say to readers eagerly anticipating “Afsos” and supporting you on this journey?

Anuv: So I would like to say that this is literally a piece of my heart that I have put out there. This was an incredible experience and I’m so happy that I get a chance to work with such incredible people now. Please be kind, listen to the song share it with the world and let the song do its thing.

You can stream Afsos now and stay updated on Anuv Jain’s latest ventures and milestones below.

Photo Courtesy: Gramophone Media

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