From just beginning to indulge in the art of music to successfully releasing an indie rock song, Cal High senior Anushna Sapatnekar is on their way to stardom.
On Sep. 22, Sapatnekar released their title track single for their debut album, “Summer’s End”, under their stage name, Raine Arcas.
The indie rock album set to release in 2024 will feature 10 songs written by Sapatnekar, who sings and plays guitar.
Last year, they told The Californian in an interview that work on the album began during their freshman year, when they wrote 150 songs.
“[The songs] all started out super bare with me just singing with a guitar,” Sapatnekar said.
Their album is a nostalgic, melancholy expression of their own life. Sapatnekar’s friend, senior Jaiden Eva, describes the album as a “love letter to their past experiences.”
“It’s got a kind of dreamy sound to it,” Sapatnekar said.
Their success is fueled by their passion for music.
“One of Anushna’s favorite things was to come up [to the studio] and collaborate,” Sapatnekar’s producer David Lipps said. “When they came up to my studio, their guitar teacher was playing some guitar and I sat down on the drums, they just lit up immediately.”
Sapatnekar’s dream band nearly came to life when they met other musicians. Eva was Sapatnekar’s first best friend at school. He went on to become their musical companion as well.
Creating a strong bond through art, Sapatnekar and Eva almost formed a band together with two other students. However, this ambition of theirs didn’t end up working out.
“We did have a musical project, it never really came to fruition,” Eva said. “It was really funny because we all got so busy with junior year but there’s really good chemistry that I have whenever I play with them.”
Sapatnekar says they used to be “so painfully socially awkward” and found it hard to put themselvs out there when they were younger.
Through the bonds they’ve made, Sapatnekar became more confident with their music, even playing live on two different occasions.
Even if they didn’t end up going through with their band idea, Eva and Sapatnekar remain a dynamic duo.
Eva was commissioned to create the cover art for Sapatnekar’s single, “Infinite”, which was released on Spotify July of 2023. This was Eva’s first commission.
Eva expressed his pride and gratitude that he could be a part of their first album release.
“[Sapatnekar’s] art doesn’t feel like an amalgamation of everything they’re inspired by, it feels like it’s theirs,” Eva said. “ And I could go on and on about their lyrics. I’d probably start crying.”
Sapatnekar plans on pursuing a musical career after high school and hopes to expand their musical knowledge in college.
They want to get better at marketing, collaborate with new musicians and hopefully create a band with them too.
“They have the ability to take criticism well, which is crucial for making good music,” said Monte Vista senior Samay Dhanker, a friend since childhood.
This attribute can prove useful, as their climb through the music industry will be a difficult journey.
“I really need to work on the business side of music,” Sapatnekar states. “College is basically going to enable me to better my brand.”
Those who know Sapatnekar believe that music is going to be a significant part of their life.
Lipps said musicians never really know if they’re going to break into the industry, but he does know that music will be a big part of Sapatnekar’s life.
“I have to do music,” Sapatnekar said. “I’m not going to be happy otherwise.”
Eva said Sapatnekar has both the talent and drive to achieve fame. Despite how cutthroat the competition can be, they could be successful anywhere, even if they don’t sign with a big label.
Just like Dhanker believes that Sapatnekar will succeed in the music industry, he has always known that Sapatnekar would become a musician. In his eyes, Sapatnekar has the potential to be one of the best.
“I think they have a lot of musical talent,” Lipps said. “And I feel like they can go far if that’s what they want.”
The three of them collectively agree that Sapatnekar could do tours and live concerts in 10 years if they got their heart set on it. No one can imagine Sapatnekar doing anything else.
“It sounds corny, but sometimes I feel [music] in my veins, it’s honestly such a beautiful experience,” Sapatnekar says. “I’m so grateful to have it. I genuinely don’t know what I would do without music.”
