Ankur Tewari has unveiled the album artwork and released the lead single for Mr. Faarigh, a nine-song concept pop album set for release on August 20. The album is structured as a conversation between Tewari's present self and an earlier version of himself, one who knew how to linger and lose track of time without fear.
The title draws from an Urdu and Arabic word that can mean idle, free, unhurried, unfinished, or at leisure, ideas that run through the album's exploration of procrastination, perfectionism, unfinished thoughts, and the emotional weight of expectation and self-doubt.
The first single, "1:15 AM (After Hours)," featuring Sudan, is already out and serves as the album's intro. Set against the backdrop of Mumbai's nightlife, the track follows friendships and late-night distraction as a search for temporary relief from overthinking, opening the album through what Tewari has described as the voices outside: the city, the movement, and the noise people surround themselves with to quiet what's happening within.
A second single, "Kasam Se," followed on July 3 and marks a shift inward. Where the opening track looked outward, "Kasam Se" moves into a more private emotional space, exploring the quiet erosion of self-worth that follows repeated disappointment, and the instinct to question not why someone let you down, but whether you were wrong to trust them at all. Tewari has framed it as a quiet promise to hold onto softness even after heartbreak, marking the point where the album shifts from escape to listening.
The album artwork carries its own layered process. Designed by Zeenat Kulavoor using a font reminiscent of old Hindi movie posters, the piece was then hand-embroidered in Sujni style by Rashmi Verma using textile surplus. Every element bears the mark of the hand, assembled, stitched, reworked and re-stitched, with the visible texture of that process left intact in the final artwork.
Tewari has spent more than 25 years shaping India's independent music scene, working across songwriting, composing, performing, music supervision, and cultural curation. He is a Grammy voting member and has built one of the genre's more prominent catalogues, including his role as music supervisor and co-lyricist on the 2019 film Gully Boy, which won him a Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for "Apna Time Aayega." He also led music for Gehraaiyaan, for which he received an IIFA nomination, and has contributed to soundtracks including The Archies and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.
Ahead of the album's release, Tewari held a listening session in Noida on August 6, giving early audiences a preview of the record. With two of its nine tracks now out and the full album due August 20, Mr. Faarigh marks what Tewari has called one of the most personal chapters of his career, turning his long-running songwriting practice toward reflection, imperfection, and unresolved thought.
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Ankur Tewari
