Ruaa Kayy aka Harjot Kaur has quietly shaped some of the India’s most celebrated music for nearly a decade, she recently joined the grand music launch of Cocktail 2, sharing the stage with Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Rashmika Mandanna and singer Raghav Chaitanya. The event brought together the film’s cast and musical collaborators to celebrate one of the year’s most anticipated soundtracks.
The evening featured Mashooqa, the film’s romantic anthem sung by Raghav Chaitanya and Ruaa Kayy. Composed by Pritam, written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and featuring Italian portions written, composed and performed by acclaimed Italian artist Mahmood, the song blends Bollywood romance with Mediterranean pop influences and has already emerged as one of the season’s most talked-about releases.
As a singer-songwriter, composer, vocal producer and engineer, she has worked behind the scenes on landmark projects, contributing to the Brahmastra score, Kesariya, collaborations involving Ed Sheeran, and songwriting sessions with artists including Jasmine Sandlas and Parineeti Chopra.
This week, however, the spotlight belonged entirely to her.
For Ruaa Kayy, the moment carried special significance. Years ago, she worked alongside Pritam’s team as an engineer and vocal producer, learning from some of the industry’s finest musicians. Today, she returns as one of the featured voices on a major Bollywood soundtrack, marking her long term journey.
The launch arrives amid an extraordinary run for the artist. Alongside Mashooqa from Cocktail 2, Ruaa Kayy recently featured on Jee Lenge from Prime Video’s Original series Lukkhe alongside KING, while her independent collaboration Laiyaan with Arijit Singh and RUTVXK became one of the year’s most emotionally resonant independent releases.
Together, these projects reflect the evolution of an artist who has spent years building her craft across songwriting, composition, production and performance. While many artists enter the industry through a single role, Ruaa Kayy’s journey has been shaped by understanding music from every angle, writing it, producing it, engineering it and ultimately bringing it to life through her own voice.
As India’s independent music scene continues its rapid rise, Ruaa Kayy represents a new generation of artists who have successfully bridged the worlds of independent and mainstream music without compromising their artistic identity. Her independent catalogue, including Laiyaan, Gin Gin Taareyy, SABR, and Reh Ja, reflects a distinctive voice that is emotionally rich, technically refined and unmistakably her own.
The Cocktail 2 music launch may have been a celebration of a film soundtrack, but for Ruaa Kayy it also marked something larger: the arrival of an artist whose years of quiet work are finally being matched by public recognition.
