Fear rarely makes for a good song title in mainstream pop. Premanjali’s new single names it directly, then spends four minutes talking it down. “I’m Not Afraid (Bhaja Hu Re Mana),” out now on all major streaming platforms, is the global kirtan artist’s latest attempt at something she’s been building toward for a while: making centuries-old devotional practice feel like it belongs in a contemporary listener’s regular rotation, not a separate spiritual category they visit occasionally.
Premanjali was born into an Australian family rooted in bhakti tradition and spent over a decade of her early life studying at a traditional gurukula, immersed in kirtan and mantra meditation from childhood rather than discovering it later as an adult convert. That background shows up in everything she makes, but it’s the way she’s chosen to present it that’s made her stand out. Rather than performing kirtan strictly within its traditional format, she’s built a sound that moves between jazz, blues, and pop influences while keeping the devotional core intact — a combination she’s described as feeling more authentic to her than sticking to a single lane would.
Her debut single, “Shyama Anna,” released in December 2025 and shot against the Kerala backwaters, introduced that approach to a wider audience. “I’m Not Afraid (Bhaja Hu Re Mana)” is the follow-up, and notably, it isn’t actually her newest song creatively — she’s said it was the very first one she wrote, close to two years ago, back when she first started seriously considering releasing her own music.
The song’s core idea is built around a Sanskrit phrase that Premanjali translates as the belief that surrendering the mind to God is what allows a person to become fearless in their own life. It’s a simple premise, but she’s been direct about how personal it actually is. In her own words, she’s spent much of her life anxious about the absence of a set plan, trying to hold onto control over things that were never really hers to control. Writing the song, by her account, became less a statement to an audience and more a reminder to herself to loosen that grip and trust something bigger.
That kind of honesty is what separates devotional pop from devotional performance. The song isn’t positioned as Premanjali dispensing wisdom from a place of having already figured it out. It’s framed as something she’s still actively practicing.
“I’m Not Afraid” was produced by BALARAM and Keshav Tyohar, and lyrically it draws from the writing of Shrila Govind Das Kaviraj, layering that traditional text over pop structure and traditional percussion. It’s a pairing that could easily feel mismatched in less careful hands — ancient devotional poetry set against a radio-friendly arrangement — but it’s consistent with the lane Premanjali has been carving out since her debut: treat the source material with real respect, then build a contemporary frame around it rather than diluting it to fit one.
The accompanying music video was filmed in Vrindavan, a location choice that isn’t incidental given the song’s subject matter — it’s one of the most significant sites in the devotional tradition the song draws from. The video follows a young woman moving through doubt and fear before arriving at a steadier place once she places her trust in God, while Premanjali and her two sakhis run a parallel storyline built around dance, playfulness, and a looser, more abandoned energy.
That dual structure — one narrative grounded in struggle, the other in release — mirrors the song’s own arc from anxiety to surrender, giving the visual side of the release the same throughline as the lyrics rather than treating the video as a separate, decorative add-on.
Zoom out, and “I’m Not Afraid” fits into something larger happening in Indian music right now: a small but growing wave of artists finding real audiences by presenting devotional and kirtan traditions through modern production, rather than keeping them confined to strictly religious or ceremonial contexts. Premanjali has been one of the more visible names in that shift, in part because she isn’t treating the crossover as a gimmick — her background in the tradition is genuine, which is presumably why the reframing lands as sincere rather than opportunistic.
She’s also built out a teaching platform, Learn Kirtan, working with students internationally, which suggests the music itself is one piece of a broader mission rather than a standalone release cycle. The through-line across her interviews is consistent: she wants people to find their own voice through devotional practice, not just consume hers.
“I’m Not Afraid (Bhaja Hu Re Mana)” is available now on YouTube, Spotify, and all major streaming platforms. For an artist who’s spent her career moving between continents and traditions, the song’s message — that surrender, not control, is where steadiness actually comes from — feels less like a marketing angle and more like the genuine thread running through everything she’s released so far.
https://premanjali.lnk.to/ImNotAfraid
Premanjali is a global kirtan artist with an Australian bhakti background who blends jazz, blues, and pop with devotional core. Her approach treats devotional material with respect while framing it in a contemporary sound, making it feel part of regular listening rather than confined to a religious category.
The song centers on a Sanskrit phrase about surrendering the mind to God to become fearless. For Premanjali, it reflects her own struggle with the need for a set plan and control, and writing the song served as a reminder to loosen that grip and trust something greater.
Produced by BALARAM and Keshav Tyohar, the track layers traditional text from Shrila Govind Das Kaviraj over a pop structure and percussion, balancing ancient devotional poetry with a radio-friendly arrangement while maintaining reverence for the source material.
The music video was shot in Vrindavan and follows a narrative of doubt and fear resolving into steadiness through trust in God, mirrored by Premanjali and two sakhis’ parallel storyline of dance and playfulness, reinforcing the arc from anxiety to surrender.
The track is part of a growing wave of artists presenting devotional and kirtan traditions with modern production rather than in strictly ceremonial contexts. Premanjali’s real background in the tradition and her Learn Kirtan platform underscore a broader mission to help people find their own voice through devotional practice, not just consume hers.
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