A Love That Existed, But Never Was.
PTTNBT: Pyaar Tu Tha, Na Bhi Tha.
Some love stories end. Some never truly begin.
This song lives in the space between them.
Some songs aren't heard. They're lived.
Put your headphones on. Step in.
PTTNBT: Pure Analogue
Pyaar Tu Tha, Na Bhi Tha (PTTNBT) has
been recorded, mixed and mastered
entirely in analogue - without vocal tuning
or digital correction.
What you hear is the musicians
performing, together, as the tape rolls.
Every breath. Every resonance.
Every imperfection is preserved -
not as noise, but as character.
This is not assembled sound.
It is performed sound.
An Assembly Of Masters
150 legendary musicians.
One Hindi love song.
A recording built by the finest.
GUITARS
Guthrie Govan
Guthrie Govan has been Hans Zimmer’s lead guitarist since 2016, contributing to soundtracks including The Lion King, X-Men: Dark Phoenix and Dune. He has been named Guitarist of the Year multiple times. Praised by Zimmer himself as one of the greatest guitarists working today, Govan adds a powerful third dimension to PTTNBT. →
ARTIST
The Architect
As the songwriter, producer, arranger, pianist and vocalist of PTTNBT, The Architect, Shayan Italia, anchors the song at its emotional core. A Zoroastrian Parsi like Freddie Mercury and Zubin Mehta, Italia brings four-octave vocals, piano and authorship to a Hindi love song built on a scale never attempted before. →
DRUMS
Ralph Salmins
Ralph Salmins has played on the soundtracks to over 180 movies, including Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Mission: Impossible and James Bond. He has performed and recorded with Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Quincy Jones. In 2012, he coordinated the 1,000 drummers at the London Olympic Opening Ceremony for an audience of over a billion. A Fellow of the Royal College of Music, Salmins delivers one of the most dramatic comeback drum rolls in Hindi music on PTTNBT. →
BASS
Laurence Cottle
Laurence Cottle has performed and recorded with Eric Clapton, Seal, Alan Parsons, Black Sabbath, Brian Eno and Van Morrison. He also teaches at the Royal Academy of Music. On PTTNBT, he anchors the recording with a deep, resonant low-end that gives the piece its gravitas. →
PERCUSSION
Luis Jardim
Luis Jardim worked with David Bowie, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Björk, Elton John, Coldplay and Tina Turner, and was known for his long collaboration with super-producer Trevor Horn. On PTTNBT, his percussion drives the track with a building momentum rarely heard in Hindi recordings of this scale. His work on this recording is among his last. Luis passed away on 4 July 2025. →
STRINGS
The 100-Piece Orchestra
Pyaar Tu Tha, Na Bhi Tha features a 100-piece string section performed by members of the London Philharmonic and London Telefilmonic Orchestras, recorded entirely in analogue. These orchestras have recorded soundtracks for The Lord of the Rings, Batman, Inception and hundreds of other films. On PTTNBT, their combined 100-piece string section was captured with no digital layering and no patch-ins.
Recorded With Masters.
Carried By Institutions.
The Song: Clip 2/4
Written & Performed by
Shayan Italia, The Architect
No vocal tuning.
No digital correction.
No assembled sound.
Just the performance,
captured as the tape rolled.
The Music. The Symbol.
The Statement.
PTTNBT is the sound.
The Overture is the first note.
A way to carry that sound into the world.
