EXCLUSIVE: THEMXXNLIGHT on collaborating with Wiz Khalifa five times, working with Ikka and Emiway Bantai and future goals

By Monica Yadav -

November 2, 2021 - 6:06 PM IST

Popular Indian-American R&B/pop collective, THEMXXNLIGHT dropped their second independent release of 2021 which will release on 30th July across all major streaming platforms in association with THEMXXNLIGHT Entertainment Corporation. On this record, the Bay area natives team up with frequent collaborators from the revered Taylor Gang camp - producer Sledgren and rapper Wiz Khalifa. Assuming the monikers of Luv (Krish Chandani) and Kush (Akash Chandani), THEMXXNLIGHT have been a key component on Khalifa’s earlier releases, but this track marks the duo’s maiden feature with the American rapper on their independent release, making them the first artists of Indian descent to collaborate with the rap royalty.

EXCLUSIVE: THEMXXNLIGHT on collaborating with Wiz Khalifa five times, working with Ikka and Emiway Bantai and future goals

The duo shines once again in this luxuriant new drop by intertwining their upscale R&B style together with chill production to form an unapologetic club-ready anthem layered with honeyed hooks, sultry bass-line and slick lyrics. The record’s central theme revolves around a classic teenage love saga, with both the twins taking turns crooning about raging emotions and mixed signals centered around a love interest. The accompanying cinematic video projects an ominously sexy vibe, blurring the lines between illusion and reality.

Wiz Khalifa expands, “THEMXXNLIGHT are young legends and the future of R&B. This is a hit, and I can’t wait for ya’ll to hear it, my brothers THEMXXNLIGHT killed it, their vocals sound insane and I’m just happy to be a part of their journey. Just doing my bit to support these future stars.”

Bollywood Hungama spoke to THEMXXNLIGHT about their collaboration, their music and more.

What's been like working with Wiz Khalifa five times already since it's so rare for that to happen?
Krish (Luv): It’s been such a blessing and we never take that for granted. We know that God is looking out for us and our prayers are working. We know we are the hardest workers out there and nothing will stop us from achieving our goals. Working with Wiz so often has been extremely motivating for us and has given us a lot of emotional and inspirational boosts.

Akash (Kush): It is definitely rare and we are blessed! It has been amazing and he is a great mentor and friend.

How long has it been for you guys to get that one song to reach a wider audience or get noticed for your work?
Krish (Luv): We only started making music near the end of 2016, so about 4-5 years ago. We started noticing some decent traction on our first song within the first couple of months and we kept staying consistent with releases after that. 2018 is when we were featured on Wiz Khalifa’s album on three songs so I would say it took us 2-3 years to reach a worldwide audience which is extremely quick and we are very thankful for that.

Akash (Kush): We have been working at this for 5 years and we got lucky when we were discovered by Wiz Khalifa 3 years ago. It is definitely tough to get noticed with each release, but we have our marketing strategies in place and we are gaining traction day by day!

Music space has become so diverse over the years. What's been the most challenging part of making music in current times?
Krish (Luv): The most challenging part honestly is not even the music, it’s been the political side of the industry that’s preventing us from releasing certain major tracks and collaborations. Music-wise, we have 100+ unreleased songs and have experimented so much that we have enough music to drop different types of albums.

Akash (Kush): The most challenging part would be meeting up with other artists to collaborate. We love working with other artists and it has definitely been a bit difficult during COVID.

You've worked with Emiway Bantai and Ikka in India. How did those collaborations happen?
Krish (Luv): Love those guys! They are our bhaiyas! Emiway happened after the Wiz Khalifa Sunburn tour in India when we performed with Wiz on stage. After the show, we connected with Emiway, and the next week we discussed the collab and made the song “Night Rider” and filmed the video. With Ikka, the first collab happened on “Body Language” in early 2019, about 6 months after our features on Wiz’s album. We were in India and randomly met Ikka and he was extremely nice, we became good friends on the spot and then made the song the same day.

Akash (Kush): Those collaborations were so fun! The first Ikka collab was for “Body Language” in Goa and then we did a second collab for “Intezaar”. Emiway was amazing to work with! Super nice guy and very talented. Ikka met us in India and wanted us to feature on his song. Emiway randomly hit us up and we loved his stuff so we decided to go visit him and make the video!

In current times, TikTok/Reels have become a huge part of how songs are going viral. One of the examples is that of Jalebi Baby. What do you think about the music space has changed over the years?
Krish (Luv): Music right now is in a very weird space, to be honest. It’s not the raw talent that shines anymore, it’s whoever makes the best 15 seconds for TikTok. I like the song 'Jalebi Baby' for sure, but I’m referring to other songs that really don’t stick out as a whole but might have 10 good seconds. So TikTok I feel is really undervaluing what a lot of skilled artists bring to the table. TikTok is also shining a light on some skilled people though for sure. It’s an interesting mix.

Akash (Kush): That’s true! It has definitely been changing over the years. TikTok totally changed the way fans interact with songs and the artist. Dance challenges have really taken over. These challenges were always a thing, but TikTok made it so easy to participate.

What does THEMXXNLIGHT aim when it comes to artistry? What are some of the goals?
Krish (Luv): Our goal is to be the biggest globally known duo of all time so we are doing whatever it takes to get there. We also would love to release our major collaborations with artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Travis Scott, Roy Woods, and more, which would definitely help us reach that goal!

Akash (Kush): We strive to be unique and always release our best music. The goal is to really become a household name, especially amongst the Indian community!