Singer Arya Dhayal joined us on Table for Two and offered a candid look into a chapter of her life that blew up online and still resonates, the viral poem Sakhava and the ownership controversy that followed. In a conversation marked by honesty, she shared how the episode shaped her early career, her mindset as a musician and how she navigates the fine line between recognition and reaction.

“Music class was always priority”

“Since I was four or five years old, I don't even remember exactly, every Sunday I'd go to music class. Whether there was a wedding or any other function, I would just go to my music class. Music class was priority.” Arya said, reflecting on how her disciplined early days laid the foundation for the unexpected storm that followed.

TheSakhava moment

While speaking about the Sakhava controversy, Arya Dhayal opened up to us on Table for Two, saying, "Some of my friends sent me a poem called Sakhava and asked me to sing it. That's how it works in college...if you're a singer, they usually want you to sing. So I sang it and posted one video of it on Facebook, and it went viral. Then multiple people came forward claiming they wrote the lyrics. That's the controversy that happened...and it's still unsolved. Even I don't know who actually wrote it.”

After the video went viral, Arya said she was flooded with calls from people claiming to represent major production houses and music companies.“I started getting so many calls, people saying they wanted to hire me for Malayalam songs, Tamil projects, and even Bollywood collaborations,” she shared. But the excitement didn't last long.“Most of them turned out to be hoaxes. Nothing real came out of it at that point,” she added with a laugh, recalling how the sudden burst of attention taught her the difference between viral fame and real industry recognition.

Arya Dhayal: The PopNartic Queen

Arya Dhayal has quietly become one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from Kerala's contemporary music scene. Born in Kannur and trained in Carnatic music from an early age, she grew up with a deep respect for classical traditions while remaining curious about global sounds. Even as a child, she never missed her weekly music classes, often skipping family functions to keep up with her lessons, a glimpse of the discipline that now defines her career.

After finishing her postgraduate studies in statistics, Arya moved to Bengaluru, where she began creating independent music that reflected her personality: rooted in melody but open to experimentation. Her defining moment came when her rendition of Ed Sheeran's Shape of You, a playful fusion of Western pop and Carnatic rhythm, caught the attention of Amitabh Bachchan, who shared it on his social media handles. The post instantly brought Arya national recognition and opened doors that led her from digital fame to playback singing in Malayalam and Tamil cinema.

Beyond playback, Arya continues to perform under her live act Arya Dhayal Unplugged, where she reimagines her songs in acoustic and experimental formats. She is also the founder of Pop Nartic, a creative space where she produces original tracks that combine pop, folk, and classical influences with her signature lyrical storytelling. Whether performing on stage with her band or composing in her studio, Arya represents a new generation of artists who blur the boundaries between indie music and mainstream sound, all while staying true to her roots.

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