music

Kelashik (born Koushik Venkatesan former artist name: Koushik Venkat) is an independent music producer, composer, and visual designer from Tamil Nadu, India. Born in Cuddalore and raised in Chennai, he grew up with a curiosity for sound and visuals that eventually became a lifelong pursuit. His stage name came from a simple Tamil quirk: if you misspell "Koushik" in Tamil, it reads as "Kelashik," a happy accident that became the banner for all his work. While still in school, he began experimenting with beats and melodies, often teaching himself through trial and error. In 2017, he released his first project, The Unknown Artist, a four-track instrumental EP that hinted at the blend of cinematic and electronic styles he would develop over time. His instrumental catalogue soon expanded with Pethai OSTs (2018), a 14-track original soundtrack for the short film Pethai, and Wicolian Beats (2019), a beat-focused release from his BeatStars era. By 2018, he had formed deeper ties with fellow musicians, releasing Nanbargal, an album made entirely with friends, and continuing into Collab Bro (2019), which brought together a wide mix of collaborators without sticking to any single genre. He also began exploring remixes and covers, including a tribute to Ilamai Thirumbudhe reflecting his admiration for Rajinikanth, the Chapathi Song re-creation for comedian Aravind SA adapting stand-up satire into music, and his Old Town Road remix giving the global hit a Tamil twist by retelling it as the story of a "love-failure horse." 2020 marked a turning point. His album QC introduced a run of Tamil electronic tracks, including Kandupudhichite, a song about his first crush back in 5th standard. That same year, he produced Pogadha Di Remixes, which earned him recognition in both the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records for creating the most remixes with multiple artists from his own label, Abstract Medias, a label he founded that eventually grew to hold more than 1,000 songs in its catalogue. In 2021, he released Kadhol, a title playing on the words "Kadhal" (love) and "Ol" (lie), blending stories of romance and deception. That year also saw the release of Ennavale, a melancholic rap track, and Kanavu Kalaindhu, a tri-single acting as the first promotional step into a neo-noir Tamil heartbreak concept. The following year, he dropped QC2 (Quarantine and Chill 2), created during the pandemic as a mix of laid-back and provocative Tamil tracks. Its standout song Gommala, laced with playful profanity, unexpectedly went viral, crossing four million streams on Spotify and millions more on YouTube, earning him a new wave of listeners. Alongside music, Kelashik has built a parallel career as a visual and motion designer, leading campaigns, branding projects, and high-end creative work for various clients. He often produces the artwork, videos, and promotional materials for his own releases, ensuring a unified aesthetic from sound to visuals. His work spans music production, design direction, video editing, and web development, a cross-disciplinary approach that lets him execute entire projects end-to-end without outside compromise. His career is marked by DIY independence, a refusal to fit into one genre, and a catalogue that blends Tamil identity with modern global production. Whether in music or design, his projects are built with a singular goal: to create something that feels unmistakably his.