Achyuth Jaigopal, Musician & Co-Founder of When Chai Met Toast

Achyuth Jaigopal is the co-founder of  When Chai Met Toast which is a multilingual indie-folk alternative band called When Chai Met Toast and it was created in Kochi in 2016. The group is well-known for its upbeat and jovial music, which it records in English and Hindi with occasionally Tamil and Malayalam lyrics.

In addition, Achyuth plays the guitar and banjo too.  With the band, he co-wrote and put out one album and two EPs. Previously, he served as the band’s lead guitarist for the well-known Indian modern folk group “The Raghu Dixit Project.”

Achyuth is a Berklee College of Music graduate and an accomplished traveling musician who has appeared at over 500 performances nationwide and abroad in places including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia, and Bhutan.

Achyuth has recorded for some of the top composers in the Indian film business and is a specialist in acoustic stringed instruments such the acoustic guitar, nylon string guitar, ukulele, banjo, and charango. He has recorded for acclaimed composer A.R Rahman in the films Mimi,99 Songs, and Dil Bechara.

2017 saw the release of their debut album Joy of Little Things. Their songs are available in multiple languages, and When Chai Met Toast routinely plays live shows and music festivals in India, such as the Red Bull Tour Bus, OnePlus Music Festival, Bacardi NH7 Weekender, and SulaFest. Their song was used in the August 2021 trailer for Farhan Akhtar’s forthcoming Bollywood movie Jee Le Zaraa. Since 2019, the group has released tracks from the album, including Ocean Tide, Kahaani, Maybe I Can Fly, When We Feel Young, and the most recent, Break Free.