Almost Famous – the LA duo of Indian descent not the iconic rock movie – have joined forces with Grammy-winning songwriter Kid Heat and rapper Tyla Yaweh for the infectious summer anthem, 'Unsick'. Released last week on all streaming platforms, 'Unsick' has catchy lyrics and smashing hook lines, blending colourful emotional melodies with punk sensibilities.
Ahead of the single's launch, all four of them are in India for a special private gig. Newlyweds Alanna Panday (actress Ananya Panday's cousin) and Ivor McCray were in for a special treat. Kid Heat, Almost Famous, and Tyla Yaweh curated a special hip-hop and R&B set for their grand reception on March 18, since the Los Angeles-based bride is their huge fan.
Kid Heat is a self-made artist and producer who has risen to ghostwrite three Grammy award-winning songs. He has written songs for top artists, including Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne and Cardi B. Tyla's repertoire includes the hits 'Tommy Lee' and 'High Right Now'. They gave a desi twist to their act by mixing RRR's Oscar-winning song 'Naatu Naatu' while Almost Famous handled the deck.
Their setlist included hits by Wiz Khalifa, Post Malone as well as the new collab. In a Zoom interaction with FPJ, Rishab Sadarangani, one half of Almost Famous, said, "It was a fun set. We performed our tracks and some regional songs as well. Tyla and Kid Heat were dancing on the Punjabi beats.”
Prior to this, Almost Famous released ‘Breakout’ in collaboration with Soulja Boy in 2019, and ‘Cash Machine’ with YOUNG Paris in 2022. They are part of the 'AF & Friends' music project based in Los Angeles, which brings together vocalists, producers, and instrumentalists from various backgrounds and nations to create a genre-bending fusion of hip-hop, R&B, soul, and electronica.
Tyla Yaweh, who has worked with the likes of Post Malone and Chris Brown, is beyond excited to be visiting India for the first time. He said, "It's super dope. I can't wait to come out here again and do a bigger show for a bigger audience.” It was his first time at an Indian wedding, and he showed up in a Falguni & Shane Peacock sherwani no less. “I kinda want to propose to my girlfriend right now.” Chimed in Kid Heat, “I've been to a lot of weddings in America, and they've been crazy and outrageous. But this was the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to. The rituals, ceremonies and the rounds are all unmatchable. On the night of the reception, I went up to my wife and I whispered into her ear, we've got to renew our vows again and come here for it.”
Circling back to collab on 'Unsick', Kid Heat continued, “Tyla and I hang out back in LA but we've never worked together. We ended up meeting these guys (Almost Famous) at an afterparty and we clicked right away. There are so many fake people in Hollywood and LA. When you meet real people, you want to hold on to that connection. That's what happened with them; I could instantly tell that they are genuine people. We heard their music and we loved it.” Tyla added, “I heard the beat; it spoke to me right away and I said, 'Hey, set up the studio.' I missed the first session because they got me too drunk and I was hungover! But I made it to the next session.”
Said Simarjeet Saini from Almost Famous, “We are releasing more songs as part of this collaboration. The project is called 12 Hours. Four of us decided to lock ourselves in the studio for 12 hours and see what we come up with. All those songs will be released as an exclusive album soon.”
For now, they are all heading back to Los Angeles but promise to return for a long trip and at least one full-fledged concert.
