Making everyone tap to her beats is not the only thing Ambika Nayak a.k.a Kayan is good at. Her fashion aesthetic would make you want to rethink your wardrobe. A lockdown discovery for many, singer-songwriter Ambika Nayak erupted onto social media feeds across the country with her feel-good, head-bopping beats and songwriting. But that’s not all. What also caught her viewers’ attention was her Instagram that serves slick streetwear looks, eye-grabbing photo dumps and snippets of her sick DJ sets.
There’s a lot that goes into making a mark as a musician. Right from who you collaborate with, to your initial influences, to how you appear to a potential audience of millions in an increasingly digital world. After being a part of two bands that eventually fizzled out, she got the chance to go solo and make her own music. With about three years on the road behind her, Ambika’s journey from open-mics to packed clubs across the country is noteworthy. And she harbours a genuine spirit of gratitude and joy taking her career, which has translated into increasingly popular live sets and DJ gigs, peppered with experiments in the form of photoshoots, music videos, and new singles.
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Touching major genres like indie, pop, soul, RnB, and electronic songs, Kayan has garnered a staggering following that has led up to the monumental point in her life where she’s now touring the country. Apart from concocting amazing beats, this fashionista makes it difficult to take our eyes off of her risqué and eccentric style. One which effortlessly seeps into her music videos as well.
Born Into Arts
Kayan’s way of being manifests in the form of several childhood memories steeped in creative expression and play. As a child, majority of her days were spent with her father’s ’00s rock cassette tapes, as she toyed with jewellery from her aunts’ collection and played host to several musical influences as a bonafide ’90s kid.
“I’ve grown up in a family that’s been very connected to arts and culture, and have always encouraged me to take part in dance and music,” she reveals. “I grew up going to plays and also watched my mom perform because she’s a Hindustani classical vocalist, while my grandma was a kathak dancer — so it’s always something that has been around me.”
There was a new-age punk phase, a barbie-glam era where only pink was to outfit of choice, followed by an eventual coming-of-age metamorphosis as Ambika took up music to study in her late teens.
Kayan, The Fashionista
Ambika genuinely believes in and loves to tell a story through her music as well as fashion. From her fits to her styling to her poses to her backdrops, everything about her feed is on fleek. And she gets it from her momma. “My mom always gave me the freedom to experiment with fashion and that helped me build my own style over the years” she says. Ambika has been styled by Divya Gursahani for multiple projects and shoots. Divya understands her vision, enhances it organically and also brings fresh ideas. A lot of thought and effort had gone into her NH7 Weekender custom-made outfit that had a narrative attached to it.
“To me, the visual output is almost as important as the sonic one. I love fashion and I love that I get to express that through my music videos and shoots. My clothes are quite mood-driven; I don’t believe in genres. But I love fashion, follow many fashion pages online and am surrounded by people who are passionate about fashion,” says Kayan. Her wardrobe majorly comes from thrift stores and indie designers like Days For Clothing (for denim), Jaywalking, Old Times Sake (tee shirts) and more. She had thrifted her own clothes too under Kayan’s Closet Sale, which was a hit. She is looking forward to grow it on a larger scale by working on a website to encourage thrifting and sell her own clothes.
Ambika’s essentials:
Baguette bags
Oversized tee-shirt
Tie-dye denims
Basic crop tanks with joggers
Jewellery, especially rings and necklaces
We explored (read: stalked) Kayan’s Insta feed and curated some of our favourite trends and looks that we found very interesting, edgy and chic.
Lots of white
From cute corsets to gorgeous lehengas to co-ord sets to satin dresses, Ambika sure seems to love the colour white.
Her feed has white all over it and we love to see it.
She keeps it classy and aesthetic at the same time.
Body Jewellery
Kayan is a vibe. She’s all about accessorising and she swears by it. It is an absolute essential for her and we can see why. The way jewellery can really enhance your outfit is unreal.
Knowing how to accessorise an outfit is an art, and Kayan totally gets it.
Puffer Jackets
These jackets have been the quite the fad, and our fashion queen knows just how to style it.
Her Lollapalooza fit was iconic to say the least and the electric blue puffer jacket just ads to her charm. Her outfit was styled by Divya Gursahani and the puffer was designed by Phalgun Seth.
The floor-length red puffer jacket featured in her music video ‘No Shade. is designed by Aashaka Cholera.
Cargo Pants
The most comfortable yet stylish choice of pants would have to be cargo. And the way Ambika flows in them effortlessly, is lovely to see.
This all denim look is just perfectly styled with the cargo pants adding just the right about of edge and ease to it.
The cutest outfit, this one will be forever etched in Kayan’s fashion and music history as it was a part of her super special single ‘Be Alright‘ that catapulted her to fame.
This is what happens when the worlds of music and fashion collide. Kayan is killing it in every sphere of her life and we’re here for it!
