Antariksh is a genre-blending banner that was founded by Varun Rajput as a way to transcend stylistic boundaries. His vision for the project is to find a global sound, one that is limitless in its musical sensibilities and vocation. It is meant not only to challenge musical convention but to find a new way of experiencing music. The latest release is ‘Naaqis’ featuring Jakub Zytecki from Poland on the guitar and Momin Khan on the Sarang. Teasing Antariksh’s upcoming album, it is a powerful composition written with a raw and haunting spirit.
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It is like a tumultuous ocean in a storm. The prog rock dimension is all consuming. Zytecki’s guitar work is irrepressible and has a momentum that opens incredible emotional dimensions. It sets an atmosphere of lofty theatrics and imparts an unshakable strength. The deeper ethos of the song is cultivated by Varun’s vocals and Momin Khan’s Sarang. It is contemplative, and hauntingly tragic as it weaves through profound moments of pain and healing. Each time the chorus comes along, the two dimensions meet, as the soaring guitar roofs shoot out of the serpentine depth of the emotions. It is embroiling and nothing short of a cinematic production. So grand and authentic that you feel the song form over and over inside you, long after it has stopped playing. Listen Now!
1. Congratulations on the release of Naaqis. It is a powerful track with an interesting stylistic collaboration and memorable features. What opened up the space for this artistic collaboration?
Thank you so much! The idea for the collaboration actually came to me while I was in the middle of composing and arranging the song. While writing the post-chorus section, I kept thinking that an Indian legato instrument could add a lot of color and a completely different dimension to what the chord progression was doing and that’s when I thought of trying a sarangi solo. The moment I thought of Sarangi, Momin Khan was the first person who came to mind; I have been following his work for the last few years.
Similarly, for the outro guitar solo, I had it in mind that I wanted someone to guest on it who could truly elevate the song to another level. The part called for a player who could really shred yet adapt to the emotional core of the track and bring out what the song was trying to express. That’s how Jakub Zytecki came to mind. And of course, I won’t discount the fact that on a personal level, it’s incredibly special for me to have guitar players I genuinely admire play on my songs 🙂
2. Tell us a little bit about the theme of the track and how the title plays into it?
Naaqis is actually a beautiful word rooted in Arabic and Urdu that carries layered meanings, often referring to something imperfect, flawed, or even unworthy, depending on the context. The song is a pivotal part of the larger concept album called ‘Rehguzar’ that I’m planning to release this summer. At its core, the track captures the emotional upheaval that comes with chasing a dream fueled by passion and optimism. It reflects that painful moment when excitement gives way to doubt, and belief is tested by reality. There’s a relentless push and pull between resilience and exhaustion, almost like a tussle between the determination to keep going and the storm that refuses to settle. With Naaqis, I’ve tried to capture the vulnerability of that situation both lyrically and musically.
3. The track blends progressive rock with Hindustani textures. That’s quite the niche. Can you tell us a little bit about how you all navigated the two genres and how one influenced/ changed the other?
Well, growing up, I got to listen to a lot of different styles of music, and that included a great deal of Hindustani classical instrumental music – all credit to my father’s incredible cassette collection. I remember putting on my headphones and listening to countless albums by artists such as Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt. Ravi Shankar, and more.
Then, of course, I got into playing guitar and was completely consumed by the world of Prog Rock (Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, Haken, The Dear Hunter etc). Much later, when I started composing, most of the music I write with Antariksh has broadly been in the rock/pop/prog space. However, some songs lean in a direction that almost begs for an Indian instrument. That’s how the idea came about to feature a sitar on our song, Quest featuring Marty Friedman, and to incorporate a sarangi in Naaqis. Another cool thing is that both prog rock and Indian classical music allow a lot of room for improvisation and experimentation, which makes fusing the two styles particularly interesting.
4. We watched the official video of the track and absolutely loved it. It is as explosive and compelling as the song itself. How does that representation tie into the theme of the song?
Thank you once again. The credit for that goes to my wife, Ishita Singh, who’s an incredible photographer and artist. As I mentioned, the song is about going through inner turbulence and hitting a wall when you’re on a journey fueled by passion. With the visuals, we’ve tried to mirror the emotional chaos that the lyrics represent. We’ve aimed to portray the intensity, movement, confrontation, and most importantly, the resilience of the character’s journey through the visuals.
5. The song showcases a seamless confluence of style. The vision is stark. We can sense so much camaraderie for sure! What are some of the values or qualities that each of you picked up from the other? That perhaps made you a better musician.
What I admire about Jakub is his artistic integrity. He won’t play on something unless he truly connects with it. That honesty for me is very inspiring especially in today’s world. The interactions I’ve had with Momin, I feel inspired seeing the incredible sense of discipline and emotional purity that comes from classical training and being in love with your instrument.
6. Antariksh is an important banner, definitely relevant in this era of music. What inspired the creation of this project and what do you seek to achieve with it? What is the direction that you want to take with it?
Frankly, Antariksh was born out of a desire to make honest Indian rock music without trying to dilute its identity. The vision has always been to create music that is emotionally authentic and musically ambitious while learning and incorporating new things along the way. The direction forward is consistently take Antariksh to international stages with stronger storytelling, more collaborations, and a lot more new music.
7. What are some of the upcoming projects for Antariksh?
The concept album, ’Rehguzar,’ releasing this summer is the big one. There are more singles that we’ll be putting out leading up to it in collaboration with some more incredible guitar players and indian classical musicians. Right after the album release, the focus will shift to touring much more and getting back to writing new material.
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The track is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music!
You can listen to ‘Naaqis’ by Antariksh featuring Jakub Zytecki & Momin Khan here –
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Song Credits:
Song Name: Naaqis Release Date: February 25, 2026 Genre: Rock/Fusion/Prog Rock Composer: Varun Rajput Lyricists: Varun Rajput Featuring: Jakub Zytecki & Momin Khan Produced by: Varun Rajput Recorded by: Varun Rajput at Antariksh Studios and M. Krishna Rao at Synergy Studios Mixed by: M. Krishna Rao at Lotus Tree Studios, New Delhi Mastered by: Gethin John at Hafod Mastering, Wales, UK Performance Credits: Lead Vocals – Varun Rajput Guitars – Shrikant Biswakarma, Varun Rajput, Jakub Zytecki Drums – Arko Ganguly Bass – Danik Ghosh Keys – Ashwin Krishnan, Varun Rajput Sarangi – Momin Khan BGVs – Vinayak Arora
