A few weeks before he quit college and moved to Mumbai, Aron Kollassani Selestin, a 22-year-old indie musician from Thiruvananthapuram, was racking his brains for the perfect verse for his song in a cafe in Kollam. Two days went by and he kept staring at his notebook, and empty espresso mugs. Aron was looking for the perfect lyrics in the language he struggles to write in — Malayalam.

Finally, on the third day, Aron aka Aksomaniac put pen to paper, jotting down the verses of his latest single ‘Kanmashi’, produced by Fatboi Raccoon, featuring vocalist Archa Quaser.

“’Kanmashi’ started with just an instrumental consisting of a bass line and drums that Fatboi Raccoon had sent me. Once I heard it, I added a piano roll as an interlude to it, which gives a surreal feel to the track, flowing through emotions of fear, intrigue, and bliss.”

The artiste blends a range of music genres in this song, exhibiting a fluid quality — from Carnatic notes to R&B — while addressing themes of self-exploration and self-love. The verses in Malayalam mention Manmadhan and Gandharvan, mystical beings associated with sex and love. “I told Fatboi that this song should be about figuring out one’s sexuality. R&B is also about intimacy and all those narratives. It has a bespoke nature,” says Aron over a Zoom call from Mumbai.

“It is representative of how I feel. My feelings were dynamic when I was figuring out my identity as a person. And the place I am from is not much open about such things. It is not the conventional thing to dress the way you want, putting kanmashi (kohl), wearing bangles, growing long hair or having a septum piercing,” says Aron.

Origin story

The artiste’s relationship with music began at the age of six when he joined Carnatic vocal classes with his sister. He later joined a tabla class at 10, which he later quit to learn keyboard. “I was about to quit that too, but somehow, I started growing into it,” says Aron.

Aksomaniac
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“My father used to take me to the classes meticulously. My weekends were busier than weekdays when I was a child. He sacrificed his weekends for me. And that is when I started giving my music the dedication my father gave to my music,” Aron recalls, practising nine hours a day.

He describes his routine as regimented, which became more rigorous in lockdown. “I was one of the students who did not have to write class 12 board exams. During this time, I made cover songs — to hone my skills in vocals, production, shooting and editing. A friend of mine, Raveen, suggested that we make original music. And within a week, we created three songs via Google Meet. That’s when a shift happened in me, it felt way more satisfying listening to my songs. I started chasing that feeling.”

Aron debuted in 2021 with ‘Mistakes’, a track about longing. His discography includes 21 songs and collaborations with artists such as Unkill ji, Adil and Moksh Vibe.

Moving to Mumbai

Earlier this year, Aron moved to Mumbai in “a polarising call”, quitting a degree in computer science in the final year. “It was a necessity for me. The seriousness with which I am trying to make music needs to be facilitated by such decisions. I moved to Mumbai because my label is there and there are also people I could count on. On metrics like financial stability, security and so on, moving to Mumbai, to do music full-time might seem like a stupid decision but it was a personal decision; a massive gamble and I would not recommend it to anyone,” he says.

Aksomaniac at The Homegrown Festival at Mumbai in February 2025
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“My parents did not support this decision,” he says. The artiste believes that his parents have created a platform to launch him through their hard work, and he does not expect them to understand the industry, as he has gaps in his knowledge about it too. “I wouldn’t have gotten into music if it wasn’t for my father and I am still doing something he facilitated, just in a different way.”

In May, Aron won the Indian Music Diaries 2025 EP of the Year award for ‘Explained Twice’, released in 2024. “That EP did not almost come out. I wanted a visually heavy album, but I did not have the money to make it. We still put it out. ‘Close by Me’ is my second song; it is also one of the three songs I wrote during the pandemic. We finished ‘Veer Off’, a week before it started streaming.”

‘Explained Twice’ was an exhibition and an attempt to understand the artiste’s limitations and do the music he likes. He adds, “The EP gave me so much confidence in my work as a producer and a songwriter.”

Aron is currently working on two EPs. One of them, titled ‘Varthamanam’, will be in Malayalam, as the musician aims to challenge his abilities yet again. The second EP is a dance project, that brings together different dance cultures.

He adds, “I am glad that I am getting an avenue to speak, which most people do not; I journal in a way that most people don’t. I am happy that I can tell stories through my songs.”