<p>What’s the secret to a band’s longevity? For Mithun Eshwar, it’s about relevance — staying in tune with changing trends and continually reinventing their sound to keep longtime fans engaged and attract new listeners.</p>.<p>Despite changes in name and lineup, his band has stayed active for 13 years. Originally focused on pure rock, their sound has evolved into a blend of rock with devotional, Indian and Western classical, electronic, and K-pop influences. Currently, their setlist is 70 per cent covers and 30 per cent originals, spanning Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. By year’s end, however, they plan to focus exclusively on original music as they prepare to release their debut album.</p>.<p>The Mithun Eshwar Project was formerly known as Mithun Eshwar The Unemployeds. The name change reflects their journey — from newcomers in Chennai to experienced musicians now based in Bengaluru. Today, they are a nine-member ensemble of vocalists, instrumentalists, and sound engineers, many of whom Eshwar recruited from reality shows and the film industry.</p>.Directors down south know their audience well: Emraan Hashmi.<p>The band’s dynamism is shaped by Eshwar's own musical journey. He has composed for nine films across Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada. “Every track from ‘10 Kalpanakal’ (2016) was a hit,” he recalls. Music runs in his veins — his father, Madhu K, is a keyboardist, and his brother, Jithin, is a Western violinist, both well-known figures in the south Indian music scene. Despite his film career, Eshwar is pursuing an indie path alongside. “In films, you are bound by the script. In indie music, you have more creative freedom,” explains the 32-year-old, who plays 11 instruments, with the violin being his first love.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He highlights their 2014 original, ‘Shiva Song’, as a testament to the band’s experimental spirit. A tribute to Lord Shiva’s boundless energy, it’s a fusion of Vakulabharanam raga and rock, featuring damru, darbuka, ghungroo, electric guitars, and flute. Other fan-favourite originals include ‘Nammara nesthama’, a soulful Telugu track blending EDM, rock, classical, and folk, ‘I am not lonely’, a trance violin track, and ‘Mithun’s medley’, an unplugged folk-rock rendition of three of his film songs. Noticing the growing popularity of acoustic music at product launches and luxury weddings, he started an instrumental ensemble in 2022 called Mithun Eshwar Live.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Their upcoming album, ‘Adiyogi — The Mithun Eshwar Project’, will further showcase their love for fusion, with tracks like a Shiva-themed piece featuring Rudrathandavam beats, an ode to Lord Hanuman with live rhythmic instruments, and ‘Thira thira’, a folksy Malayalam track inspired by Alappuzha’s houseboat culture.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eshwar’s lifelong inspiration is Greek composer Yanni, particularly his 1997 track ‘Nightingale’ for its symphonic arrangement using strings. “I want to create something like that. My heart lies in melody, but right now, the trend is EDM and modern genres, so I am going with the flow,” he says.</p>
<p>What’s the secret to a band’s longevity? For Mithun Eshwar, it’s about relevance — staying in tune with changing trends and continually reinventing their sound to keep longtime fans engaged and attract new listeners.</p>.<p>Despite changes in name and lineup, his band has stayed active for 13 years. Originally focused on pure rock, their sound has evolved into a blend of rock with devotional, Indian and Western classical, electronic, and K-pop influences. Currently, their setlist is 70 per cent covers and 30 per cent originals, spanning Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. By year’s end, however, they plan to focus exclusively on original music as they prepare to release their debut album.</p>.<p>The Mithun Eshwar Project was formerly known as Mithun Eshwar The Unemployeds. The name change reflects their journey — from newcomers in Chennai to experienced musicians now based in Bengaluru. Today, they are a nine-member ensemble of vocalists, instrumentalists, and sound engineers, many of whom Eshwar recruited from reality shows and the film industry.</p>.Directors down south know their audience well: Emraan Hashmi.<p>The band’s dynamism is shaped by Eshwar's own musical journey. He has composed for nine films across Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada. “Every track from ‘10 Kalpanakal’ (2016) was a hit,” he recalls. Music runs in his veins — his father, Madhu K, is a keyboardist, and his brother, Jithin, is a Western violinist, both well-known figures in the south Indian music scene. Despite his film career, Eshwar is pursuing an indie path alongside. “In films, you are bound by the script. In indie music, you have more creative freedom,” explains the 32-year-old, who plays 11 instruments, with the violin being his first love.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He highlights their 2014 original, ‘Shiva Song’, as a testament to the band’s experimental spirit. A tribute to Lord Shiva’s boundless energy, it’s a fusion of Vakulabharanam raga and rock, featuring damru, darbuka, ghungroo, electric guitars, and flute. Other fan-favourite originals include ‘Nammara nesthama’, a soulful Telugu track blending EDM, rock, classical, and folk, ‘I am not lonely’, a trance violin track, and ‘Mithun’s medley’, an unplugged folk-rock rendition of three of his film songs. Noticing the growing popularity of acoustic music at product launches and luxury weddings, he started an instrumental ensemble in 2022 called Mithun Eshwar Live.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Their upcoming album, ‘Adiyogi — The Mithun Eshwar Project’, will further showcase their love for fusion, with tracks like a Shiva-themed piece featuring Rudrathandavam beats, an ode to Lord Hanuman with live rhythmic instruments, and ‘Thira thira’, a folksy Malayalam track inspired by Alappuzha’s houseboat culture.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eshwar’s lifelong inspiration is Greek composer Yanni, particularly his 1997 track ‘Nightingale’ for its symphonic arrangement using strings. “I want to create something like that. My heart lies in melody, but right now, the trend is EDM and modern genres, so I am going with the flow,” he says.</p>