Varun Sheel: Navigating Emotional Landscapes with “Here” and “Neon Love”

Varun Sheel returns with a deeply personal releases, “here” and “neon love,” showcasing his gift for creating immersive soundscapes that resonate on an emotional level. Known for a style that interweaves Western and Bollywood influences, Varun Sheel has built a reputation for crafting soulful compositions that connect with audiences across cultures. With “here,” he delivers a serene yet impactful journey, inviting listeners to experience the nuances of life’s most intimate emotions.

With “neon love,” Varun Sheel shifts gears, channeling the exhilaration of the city and the fleeting, electric moments of connection that often define it. Where “here” captures quiet introspection, “neon love” pulses with urgency, pairing soaring guitar riffs with Sheel’s dynamic vocals to create a contrast that feels both immediate and timeless. This dual release underscores Sheel’s range as a songwriter—able to move seamlessly from reflective and intimate to vibrant and bold while maintaining his unique blend of Western and Bollywood influences. Together, “here” and “neon love” demonstrate his commitment to creating music that not only tells a story but also draws listeners deeply into its world.

What was your first memory of picking up the guitar, and how did that moment shape your journey as a musician?

Honestly, I’ve wanted to play guitar for longer than I’ve been playing it! I must have been three or four years old at the time, and I can still remember the exact moment where I remember seeing a guitar for the first time and absolutely falling in love with it. It was during a Bollywood movie that my family was watching at home called Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. In that movie, there was a song where they introduced the hero of the movie, played by Salman Khan, called “Oh, Oh Jane Jaana.” Within the first 30 seconds of that song, that man; rides onto the stage on a motorcycle, comes out strapped with a blue guitar, shirtless, jacked and the crowd goes nuts. Me at maximum four years old?! No chance. I was hooked. From then on I was always pretending to play the guitar. Sticks, brooms, anything was an opportunity. I was a couple years older when I got my first acoustic guitar and it just felt right. I was only a child and I had found something that my soul knew I wanted/needed and since then, I’ve been beyond blessed to have this tool and outlet to express myself. This has always been my therapy. This has always been my catharsis and when words fail me, music never does. It’s universal and throughout every song I’ve ever written (and will write), I attempt to respect this. Music should make you feel something. Always.

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Reflecting on your musical journey, what pivotal moments have influenced your artistic development, particularly leading up to the release of ‘here’?

A big part of creating music for me is creating music that I’m proud of. In my eyes, that’s music that is sonically memorable, emotionally evocative, and lyrically honest. However, my past experiences are what have given me the opportunities to learn what falls into those categories. Each of my bands in the past, whether they were heavy metal, pop rock, or instrumental. Every musician I’ve ever played with—Bollywood singers, cellists, saxophone players. Every friend that’s shown me a cool song, every Bollywood song or soundtrack I hear in the background is important. I’ve never been resistant to feedback or new ideas or outlooks, and that has made a world of difference in my own development. You never know what you’ll learn, and you should never dismiss an idea before you hear it out fully. At the very least, you’ll walk away with a new little puzzle piece that you can try and slot into what makes you, you. ‘Here’ is an incredibly personal song. I think it’s hard to pinpoint one specific moment that went into making something that’s so organically an expression of myself. I hear this song, and I can hear my dad practicing raga Malhar because it has similar tones and is usually meant to be associated with rain. I can hear my old drummer telling me that not every chord progression “needs to end in release; there are other ways to provide it.” I hear my friends telling me to not be so verbose with my lyrics. I hear all of these things and more, but I also feel everyone’s support behind me and I’m truly lucky to have that. 

You mentioned your love for catchy melodies that evoke emotion. How do you incorporate this timeless quality into your music, especially in “here”?

If I try to think of what makes a melody catchy, or even think of  a catchy melody. My mind immediately thinks of things that are “timeless.” I love those melodies that you can hear days, months, and years later and you know exactly where it’s from. Melodies like “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from the musical “Oklahoma!” or the synth melody at the beginning of Linkin Park’s “Numb” or even Disney’s iconic “When You Wish Upon a Star” melody. You could hear those melodies right now, you don’t even need to be actively listening and you would know exactly what it’s from, and that is incredibly powerful. That is one of the intangible beauties of music to me.

In ‘Here’ I really wanted to adopt this idea of a reprise into my guitar melody that you hear after every chorus. At its core, it’s pretty simple. It’s 10 notes. But those 10 notes work together to pull you back into this contemplative, dreamy space that the song really creates. As the track takes you on this kind of push-pull journey of tension and release, every time you get that release, I wanted to give you something to hold on to. Something to really anchor you back to the world I was trying to create. So I used this reprise. By the time the song is over, you’ll have heard the melody a few times and you may even remember it without the track playing. I’m not sure what it may have you feeling; I feel like that’s personal. But I do know you’re bound to feel something, and it’s beautiful that music can do that.  

What’s the most unexpected place you’ve found inspiration for a song?

Honestly, I should just put a shower in the studio at this point. Many, many songs have been thought of in the shower. You start to daydream, you lose track of time, and, oh, look at that we’ve got multiple voice memos for multiple ideas!

The lyrics of ‘here’ beautifully express a desire to pause time and stay in a moment of connection. What was a specific moment in your life that made you wish you could pause time and stay right there, as expressed in ‘here’?

‘Here’ is a very personal song for me, and I’m glad the message of it has been translating with everyone listening, because that was what I was going through.
I wrote ‘here’ the morning before I dropped my wife off at the airport before the COVID lockdown. She was an international student at the time. With everything closing down, she had to make a call and her entire family was back home. So she was scheduled for an early morning flight. That night it was raining. It was late at night—or early in the morning, however you want to look at it—and I couldn’t sleep. How could I? There was so much I didn’t know. When would this be over? When would I see her again? Would I see her again? Could we make it through the distance? This wasn’t a vacation; we were talking about where she’d be back in a couple of months max. I think with the pandemic there were a lot of uncertainties and a lot that I didn’t know the answer to. I didn’t know the answer to any of those questions, and they raced through my head, but I kept on trying to calm myself down because I kept on telling myself, She’s here now. She was here at this moment, and I knew one thing. I never wanted this moment to end. ‘Here’ tells the story of wanting to stay in that moment with my wife and me. Every choice, whether it’s the raindrops at the beginning and end, the heartbeat drums in the pre-chorus, or the melancholic reprise, exists to put you in that moment. It’s intimate, it’s immersive, and it’s a little intense. But that’s because it’s real. 

Was there a specific moment or event in your life that you consider a turning point in your music career?

I would say it’s definitely right now! Honestly COVID was a tough time, but for me, it was also time, dedicated to my music, honing my skills, practising, guilt free, that I didn’t need to dedicate elsewhere. I’ve written songs for over a decade now, but when we talk about “music I’m proud of” it definitely wasn’t at that level. I wasn’t capable of singing the melody in my head, or playing the guitar part I had imagined, or creating the beat that I was envisioning and pursuing a graduate degree in molecular and cellular biology, didn’t really give me the time I needed to figure it out. Then along came the lockdown. An incredibly emotionally stressful, turbulent time for everyone, that gave me nothing but time to better myself and lots of emotions to put down on a page. I wrote hundreds of songs during that lockdown and now, I finally feel proud enough to share them. I started releasing them a couple of months ago and the reception has been incredible. I feel truly blessed to not only have the opportunity to share my music and have it resonate with listeners, but also speak about my music with outlets such as Peaches N Pop or others. This is a special time and I’m excited for the future. 

What’s the most unusual instrument or sound you’ve ever used in a song, and how did it come about?

It would easily be the vocal track, or rather 100’s of vocal tracks,  in my new track “Neon Love.” So, in order to really get this large crowd effect on the bridge of this song, I didn’t really have access to a space large enough to accommodate 100 people. Instead, there are probably 100s of individual vocal takes of, well, my wife and I. These are takes of both of us singing normally, both of us singing super low or super high, takes of us singing in different accents to simulate different people with different backgrounds and cadences. We went absolutely nuts with it, there’s a few takes of me singing like the Cookie Monster in there. It’s one of those shining examples of “respect the process” because the individual takes sound wild when singled out, but together, I’m really happy with what it became. 

Can you share a moment of failure in your journey and what you learned from it?

I’m fortunate because, as a scientist, I’m trained to be incredibly “failure forward.” Much of science and in particular the study of biology is attempting to understand something that’s been doing this for much longer than we as a species have existed. You can bang your head against a wall for weeks trying to figure out why something isn’t working or why your data isn’t what you expected, and then you get one really good week to carry you through so you can do it again!

I would be lying if I said there was only one mistake I’ve made in my musical journey, and it would be my hubris foolishly speaking if I said there wouldn’t be any more. I’ve been playing music and releasing music with different bands and projects since I was around 14. You make mistakes. You get prideful and don’t prepare enough for a show, and it goes terribly. You have a disagreement with a band member, and tension appears because of it. You took the wrong advice from someone who maybe didn’t share your ideas and goals. I’ve made all of these mistakes, but every single one has had a lesson that I’m thankful to have learned.

Going into my new singles and my journey as Varun Sheel, a solo artist, I bring with me the lesson of community. Artists are nothing without the incredible community of people behind them, backing them and supporting them, even when their own confidence waivers. My failure was that I never put stock into this before. In a band and as a guitarist, I never interacted with many of the people that heard our music off stage. I thought being real and “approachable” would work against me. Now, I know this was so wrong. Hearing how my music affects everyone, hearing about their lives and what they’re going through, and how the music makes a difference means so much to me, and it inspires me. I’m so lucky that I’m able to reach people like this, and I can only hope to keep making them proud. 

How do you think your sound has evolved since your first release, and where do you see it going next?

Each song is different and is treated differently because each song tells a unique story that deserves unique treatment. Whether it’s a fun summer bop like ‘more than friends’, an anthemic break-up song like ‘over you’ or an introspective, immersive track like ‘here’, I’m not trying to actively do something different for the sake of being different. I’m making the choices I’m making because it helps bring the story to life. For my next track, this is going to be a little more chilled out and dreamy! ‘neon love’ tells the story of two lovers trying to turn an evening in the city into a night they’ll remember forever. It’s warm, it’s dreamy, it’s simple, and it feels wholesome. It’s a track that is probably one of my favourites so far, and I hope you love it as much as I do!