In March 2022, it was reported that Anirudh Ravichander would score music for the film.[1][2] However, with the film's launch in April 2022, it was confirmed that Malayalam composer Hesham Abdul Wahab would score music for the film in his Telugu cinema debut.[3][4] Wahab attributed that the success of his compositions for Hridayam (2022) had caught the attention of filmmakers from Telugu industry.[5] He added that the production company Mythri Movie Makers asked on his arrival to Hyderabad so that he could compose a song for his involvement, to which Hesham agreed.[6][7]
"The story of Kushi revolves around Kashmir, and it was important that I get acquainted with the energy and vibe of the place. I went to Kashmir, and spent a lot of time with our team, exploring the sounds there. I believe music is a journey, and while working on Kushi it was crucial that I understand the kinds of instruments popular around that particular place."
Music sessions for the film began in Kashmir. Wahab was influenced by the culture and landscape of Kashmir, which helped to conceptualize the tunes and curate them which uses an Asian soundscape.[9] He met Kashmiri musicians which used instruments specifically for the region, including a Rababi group which performed spiritual music.[6] Around 50 musicians have been employed in the project, with Wahab closely working with 25–30 people. He composed five tunes in a 60-hour stretch, which Wahab usually does for his previous films.[9][8]
Besides directing, Nirvana wrote lyrics for all the tracks. Nirvana narrated the first few lines of the song "Na Roja Nuvve" which Wahab immediately set to tune. As he liked his work, Wahab insisted to write lyrics for all the other songs as well. Each songs were recorded within a week's time.[6] The lyrics of "Naa Roja Nuvve" references Mani Ratnam's films owing to the protagonist's liking to Ratnam and A. R. Rahman's films.[10][11] Over five demos were composed in place, before the sixth demo has been finalized for the song.[12] The songs were mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai.[12]
Release
The music rights were acquired by Saregama.[13] On the occasion of Deverakonda's birthday (9 May 2023), the makers unveiled the first single "Na Roja Nuvve" (in Telugu), "En Roja Neeye" (in Tamil and Malayalam), "Nanna Roja Neene" (in Kannada) and "Tu Meri Roja" (in Hindi).[14][15] The second single, "Aaradhya" was released on 12 July,[16][17] followed by the title track which released as the third single from the album on 28 July.[18][19] A musical concert was held on 15 August, coinciding with India's Independence Day, at the HICC Conventional Centre in Hyderabad.[20] Besides the cast and crew's attendance, the concert featured musical performances from Wahab, Sid Sriram, Javed Ali, Anurag Kulkarni, Haricharan, Chinmayi Sripada, K. S. Harisankar, Padmaja Sreenivasan, Divya S. Menon and Bhavana Isvi.[21][22] The same day, the soundtrack was made available to streaming platforms in all languages.[23]
Reception
Janani K. of India Today wrote "If 'Kushi' is breezy and feel-good, the main credit should go to Hesham Abdul Wahab's soul-stirring music."[24] Meera Venugopal of Radio Mirchi summarized "Hesham Abdul Wahab beautifully weaves songs into the larger narrative".[25] Ram Venkat Srikar of Film Companion South wrote that Wahab's music "neatly complement Shiva Nirvana in keeping the mood pleasant and cheerful".[26] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India wrote "Hesham Abdul Wahab's music gels beautifully with the film."[27] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV described the music as one of the strongest points.[28]
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