When 14-year-old Kavya Trehan told her mom she wanted to perform at an open mic (the kind where they serve alcohol too), her mom did not panic or lecture — she just said, “Cool, I will come with you.” At the event, Kavya, mostly just wanting some attention, got up and sang whatever popped into her head. It was not perfect, but that bold little moment gave her a head start in music, and by 17, she was already on tour.

Midway through her Hyperreal Tour across India, singer-songwriter and producer Kavya speaks over the phone about her journey, the story behind Hyperreal, and what it means to share her music truly. Despite having toured since her teens, Kavya calls Hyperreal her most ambitious project yet. “Each tour I have done has had its own flavour, but this one is different. It is not just about performing anymore, it is about creating an experience that hits every sense,” she says adding, “The stage brings out a mix of stress, excitement, and vulnerability, and I have come to love that chaos.”

‘Hyperreal’ is both a title and a concept, she says and the immersive world behind it was visualised by her sister Khyati and brother-in-law Sanchit, who has been listening to Kavya’s music since her school days. “He saw how my acoustic, organic music had grown into something electronic and cinematic,” Kavya shares. “So he imagined a world, set in the future, where archaeologists uncover relics from our time, our sounds, colours, emotions. What would that discovery look like? What would it sound like?”

Hyperreal is their answer to that question — a three-part performance with storytelling, visuals, costumes, and a stage that feels more like a gallery. Kavya compares it to theatre. “There is a dystopian voice that guides you through the sections. First, where you are; then, realising you are suspended in time; and finally, surrendering to transformation.”

This tour marks several firsts for Kavya, like her own merchandise, a visual artiste on tour, and a dedicated sound engineer. “It may be baby steps, but they’re mine,” she says. “This tour lets me be selfish in the best way to present the music how I want to, not just how it is expected.”

Live first

Instead of releasing the EP and then touring, Kavya has opted to do it the other way around. “The live experience comes first. I want the music to be discovered like a piece in a gallery. The record will come out in May, after the tour,” says Kavya who, alongside the producers, carefully curated the set to take audiences on an emotional journey — from organic-sounding singer-songwriter pieces to electronic, atmospheric soundscapes. “We looked at tempo patterns, instrumentation, even emotional tone. It is all organised chaos. It had to flow like a story, not just a playlist,” she explains. The result? A blend of released songs, unreleased EP material, and hidden gems.”

Kavya Trehan
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Special Arrangement

One of Kavya’s grouses was about having to perform solo. “I was tired of feeling lonely on stage,” she confesses. “I wanted to go back to performing with a band, like I did in the beginning.” Her collaborators on the tour include Goya, Tej Modi, and visual artiste Nikunj Patel. “I am just so thrilled to have this team. Everyone is chosen from the gut — great humans before great artistes.”

Having just wrapped the shoot for Netflix’s forthcoming modern-day Indian royalty rom-com The Royals, Kavya speaks about her dual passions: “For me, acting and singing go hand in hand, they both come from the same place of expression and storytelling.”

Journey so far

So how did her music journey begin? “Honestly, I think it was a conspiracy,” Kavya laughs. “My mom named me Kavya, and now I literally live the meaning of my name.”

Raised by her mother and sister in a home full of multilingual music — from George Michael to regional Indian classics — Kavya absorbed a wide range of sounds. “My mom speaks and reads so many Indian dialects. We would hear Bengali songs one day, Malayalam the next.” Her school, Mirambika in Delhi, has also shaped her artistic sense, she shares.

As she gears up for shows in Goa, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru, Kavya says the core of her tour stays untouched. “The show’s not changing for each city. Tech might vary, like Goa may have fewer lights but the performance? That’s all me. Take it or leave it,” she grins.