With their debut single Raat Ki Rani, Nee-Ko steps confidently armed with a shimmering disco groove, the glitz of Bollywood nostalgia, and a deep affection for the city of dreams, i.e. Mumbai. This single by artist-producer Nee-Ko, made up of vocalist Aneesha and DJ-producer Konark Sikka, lands like a glittery love letter, written during a traffic jam, in a neon-lit ride, sealed carefully with sweat and stardust.
Madhulika Gupta | BeatCurry Team
From the get-go, Raat Ki Rani throws you into chaos. It doesn’t ease you in, on the contrary, it struts confidently past the line between nostalgia and now. Aneesha’s vocals are syrupy smooth but never lazy, they twist and flutter with a kind of deliberate playfulness that knows when to flirt and when to bite. Konark’s production is equally savvy, taking cues from the slick rhythms of 80s disco but grounding it with gritty electronic textures that feel unmistakably modern. There’s restraint, but it’s never boring, think less maximalist glitter explosion and more late-night neon reflection.
Listen to Raat Ki Raani on YouTube:
What makes this track stand out isn’t just its polish or flair, it’s the storytelling embedded at its crux. Raat Ki Rani isn’t trying to be a “Mumbai anthem” in the loud, chest-thumping way we’ve come to expect from city tributes. Instead, it picks its moments. It sways and leans into contradiction, chaos, and charm. The city here isn’t a backdrop but has a separate character altogether. Aneesha plays it perfectly in the music video: Part enchantress, part ghost, all city. Directed by Shreyash Tatuskar and shot across Bandra, Khar, and BKC, the visuals synonymously tracks a struggling artist through his auditions and quiet unravelings. There’s no savior arc, no tidy ending, just movement. Just Mumbai.
The mixing, courtesy of Ardon Rumnong, is subtle and deliberate. You can hear the references, from Nazia Hassan’s velvet cool to Donna Summer’s dancefloor drama, yet again none feels even close to mimicry. Instead, there’s a certain warmth in the way the song breathes. It harks back without getting stuck in the past.
This as a project doesn’t scream for attention, all props to the creators involved. Their chemistry is evident, not just in how they sound but in how they listen to each other within the track. Raat Ki Rani doesn’t explode on impact but it simmers, takes its time, and seeps into your skin. It’s the kind of track that makes you look out the window a little longer, maybe even miss your stop. Mumbai deserves more music like this, the unrushed, honest, and a little disoriented kind. Just like the city itself.
Listen to Raat Ki Raani on Spotify:
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