| Arjuna Harjai | |
| Website: | http://www.arjunaharjai.com |
| Alias: | Arjunna Harjaie, Arjunaa Harjai & Arjun Harjai, Arjuna, Arjunah |
| Birth Place: | Delhi |
| Years Active: | 2009–present |
| Spouse: | Divya Harjai |
Arjuna Harjai, also known as Arjuna[1], is an influential musician [2], singer-songwriter, and music producer based in the UK, originally hailing from India. He has made significant contributions to Bollywood films and the advertising industry [3], while also establishing himself as a prominent independent artist with a diverse, international body of work.
Harjai’s association with director Nikkhil Advani earned him critical acclaim for his work on the film Guddu Engineer and the television series P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke. For P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke, Harjai composed the original score for 107 episodes and created six songs, lending his voice to all the tracks alongside co-singers Nandini Srikar, Shashaa Tirupati, Jonita Gandhi, and Surabhi Dashputra. His work on this project was praised for its emotional depth and innovative approach to television music composition. [4] [5]
Harjai also made a significant impact with his work on Nikkhil Advani’s film Lucknow Central, starring Farhan Akhtar and directed by Ranjit Tiwari. He composed three songs, the background score, and the soundtracks for trailers and commercials. His innovative composition for the film, including a song created using trash cans, highlighted his ability to blend unconventional elements into mainstream music.[6] [7]
In addition to these notable collaborations, Harjai gained widespread recognition for his work on the feature film Titoo MBA, particularly for the song “O Soniye,” which he composed and was performed by Arijit Singh. The track became a massive success, further establishing Harjai’s reputation as a versatile composer in the Indian music industry.[8]
Harjai started learning Hindustani classical music at a very young age under the guidance of his parents, Lakshmi Madhusudan and Madhusudan Harjai, and was exposed to various music styles.He moved to Mumbai in 2006 to further study under playback singer Suresh Wadkar. He also studied piano as his main instrument since a very young age and went on to study until Grade 8 of western classical and jazz piano privately in Delhi and in 2008 he passed out from SAE Institute, Mumbai as the highest scorer in Audio Engineering. In 2009 he studied jazz and counterpoint composition under various music exchange programs in Delhi and Mumbai.
While composing advertising jingles for major brands, Harjai continued assisting music composer Lalit Pandit for projects such as Besharam and Dabangg.
Harjai began composing for cinema when Punjabi producer Rajan batra was looking for a new composer with a distinct vision for his feature film Titoo MBA. Harjai went on to compose the entire soundtrack for the film.[9] and has continued with a number of other film soundtracks and songs. By 2022 Harjai has a portfolio of composing over 500 advertising jingles and a dozen feature films.
In 2021, Harjai relocated to the United Kingdom, where he continued to work remotely, further advancing his career as a singer-songwriter. Alongside his work in film and advertising, he has developed his journey as an independent artist, establishing his own music label and releasing original music [10] which has helped him connect with a broad audience across multiple platforms. His YouTube channel [11] which features vlogs, behind-the-scenes content, and insights into his music production process, has amassed over 1.2 million subscribers. On Spotify, Harjai has cultivated a strong following, with over 250,000 monthly listeners tuning in to his diverse range of compositions [12] . Additionally, he engages with over 350,000 followers on Instagram, where he shares his creative journey, music releases, and personal experiences as a composer and independent artist.[13] [14]
In 2023 he collaborated with Sounds of Isha and various International artists like Machel Montano Marge Blackman and Sandeep Narayan to create the Save Soil and Come Awake anthems for supporting the Save Soil movement by Sadhguru[15]
In 2024, Arjuna Harjai launched a creative project titled "The One Minute Composer,"[16] where he composed and released tracks inspired by random prompts, each within a minute-long format. This series featured songs like "Winter Ayun Waliye," "Mangoge Na," and "Zikar Hai," with the latter being a significant collaboration with Pakistani singer Natasha Noorani. The project quickly gathered substantial attention, with all three songs making it to Spotify's viral 50 charts, further demonstrating Harjai's ability to resonate with global audience.[17] "Zikar Hai" was particularly noted for its emotional depth and the innovative cross-border collaboration, which involved remote production sessions between Harjai in the UK and Noorani in Lahore[18] . Additionally, in 2024, Harjai was recognized as the "Introducing Artist of the Week" by BBC Asian Network, highlighting his growing influence in the international music scene.[19]
| Year | Title | Artists | Organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Come Awake | Sounds of Isha [20] | ||
| 2022 | Soil Song | Arjuna Harjai Machel Montano Marge Blackman | Sounds of Isha [21] | |
| 2024 | Zikar Hai | Aart Sense Records [22] |
| Year | Title | Artists | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Main Janu Na | Sony Music India [23] | |
| 2021 | Arjuna's Drone | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Studios UK [24] |
| 2022 | Naa Jao | Aart Sense Studios UK [25] | |
| 2023 | Shamil Hoon | Arjuna Harjai x Divya Harjai | Aart Sense Studios UK [26] |
| 2023 | Jhoothe | Arjuna Harjai x Jyotica Tangri | Aart Sense Studios UK [27] |
| 2023 | Kharaab | Arjuna Harjai x Jyotica Tangri | Aart Sense Records [28] |
| 2024 | Winter Ayun Waliye | Arjuna Harjai x Jyotica Tangri x Geet Sagar | Aart Sense Records [29] [30] |
| 2024 | More Sajan | Arjuna Harjai x Surabhi Dashputra | Aart Sense Records [31] |
| 2024 | Kyu Bhag Gayi Tu | Arjuna Harjai x Anubhav Suman | Aart Sense Records [32] |
| 2024 | Bharam | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Records [33] |
| 2024 | Mangoge Na | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Records [34] |
| 2024 | Kinaare | Arjuna Harjai x Shreya Jain | Aart Sense Records [35] |
| 2024 | Challeya Ve | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Records [36] |
| 2024 | Rehn De | Aart Sense Records [37] | |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Hair Is Falling | Score | |
| 2012 | Manzoor Nahi | Song composed to support the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape[38] | |
| 2013 | Calapor | Songs and score, also sang two songs[39] | |
| 2014 | Titoo MBA | Songs and Score | |
| 2014 | CHUDAIL | Music by[40] | |
| 2016 | Do Lafzon Ki Kahani | Composed 1 song "Ankhiyaan"[41] [42] | |
| 2016 | Guddu Engineer | Songs and score | |
| 2016 | P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Songs, opening theme and score[43] | |
| 2017 | MAHI NRI | Music by[44] | |
| 2017 | Jindua | Composed two songs, "Laaiyan Ve" and "Takdi Ravan". | |
| 2017 | Lucknow Central | 3 songs, score and promos.[45] | |
| 2019 | Judgemental Hai Kya | Kis Raste Hai Jana | |
| 2019 | Motichoor Chaknachoor | Choti Choti Gal | |
| 2020 | Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare | Neat Ve & Bimari |
| Awards | For | Director | Details | Music director | Lyricist | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival | Guddu Engineer | Nikkhil Advani | Best Music Award - Keh Nahi Paunga | as Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2016 |
| Creative ABBY Awards GOLD[46] | P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Nikkhil Advani | Original Background Score - Rab Ki Baatein | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Creative ABBY Awards BRONZE | P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Nikkhil Advani | Original Background Score - Raahiyan Ve | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Film | Song | Singer | Lyricist | Year of Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manzoor Nahi | Single | Surabhi Dashputra & Arjuna Harjai | Surabhi Dashputra | 2012 |
| Calapor | Musical | Lakshmi Madhusudan & Aishwarya Nigam | Sanjeev Chaturvedi | 2013 |
| Calapor | Tarana | Surabhi Dashputra | Surabhi Dashputra | 2013 |
| Calapor | I Love You Ma | Arjuna Harjai & Surabhi Dashputra | Surabhi Dashputra | 2013 |
| Calapor | Bindaas | Various | Surabhi Dashputra | 2013 |
| Titoo MBA | Kyu Hua Reprise | Kumaar | 2014 | |
| Titoo MBA | O Ranjhna | Surabhi Dashputra | Surabhi Dashputra | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | Plan Bana Le | Aishwarya Nigam & Surabhi Dashputra | Kumaar | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | Atyachaari | Surabhi Dashputra & Arjuna Harjai | Surabhi Dashputra | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | Kyu Hua | Arijit Singh & Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | O Soniye | Arijit Singh & Vibha Saraf | Surabhi Dashputra | 2014 |
| Chudail | Das Rahe Hain | Surabhi Dashputra | 2015 | |
| Chudail | Raat Ye Kehti Hai | 2015 | ||
| Hero (2015 Hindi film) | Yadaan Teriyaan Reprise | Shipra Goyal & Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2015[47] |
| Do Lafzon Ki Kahani (film) | Ankhiyaan | 2016[48] | ||
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Rab Ki Baatein | Arjunna Harjaie | Kumaar | 2016 |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Raahiya | Surabhi Dashputra & Shashaa Tirupati | Kumaar | 2016 |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Dhaage | Arjuna Harjai & Nandini Srikar | Kumaar | 2016 |
| P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke | Akhari Mod Pe | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Ishq Hawa Hai | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Mera Mahi NRI | Kailash Kher | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Tere Bina | Master Saleem & Shipra Goyal | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | One More Thumka | Jonita Gandhi & Anubhav Suman | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Blonde Nachdi | Hardy Sandhu & Jonita Gandhi | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Bathroom (Rap) | Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Balle Balle | Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Tabbar | Lehmber Hussainpuri & Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Tere Bina (Reprise) | Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Jindua | Takdi Ravan | Jonita Gandhi, Akhil & Arjunna Harjaie | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Jindua | Laaiyan Ve | Arjuna Harjai & Surabhi Dashputra | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Lucknow Central | Teen Kabooter | Divya Kumar Mohit Chauhan, Raftaar | Kumaar, Raftaar | 2017 |
| Lucknow Central | Rangdaari | Arijit Singh Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Lucknow Central | Kaavaan Kaavaan | Divya Kumar | Kumaar | 2017 |