KUSH KHANNA

Where are you currently based, and what do you love most about life in London?

I’m currently based in South London, and what I love most about my London life is the chapters. Anyone who knows me knows I crave chaos to calm. When you say “yes” in London, it can lead to so many incredibly beautiful moments like no other city.

What first inspired you to pursue acting, singing, and writing?

Like many performers, I feel it almost gave me no choice. I had always loved performing from the age of four, but never truly believed I would have the chance to exist in it.

When I was seventeen, I asked the universe to make that decision for me before I turned eighteen. I had applied to study Maths at university and had gotten in, but I said, “If you somehow alter that path, then that is the path I shall take.”

Even my parents said they didn’t care what road I took, as long as I did it wholeheartedly.

One month before my eighteenth birthday, I got cast as a lead in a Bollywood film and was flown to India for four months. I then got signed to a music label as soon as I was back in the UK. Safe to say, the decision was made.

Did you always imagine yourself working in the entertainment industry someday?

I’ve always truly believed that there is a space in the entertainment industry for a man like me. I just haven’t found what it looks like yet.

What do you enjoy the most about being both an actor and a musician today?

As an actor, I love the sense of play. Though some actors do take the whole thing a little too seriously, the majority have this sense of youth no matter what our age.

With music, it’s all about unlocking a pain or beauty in me that I can’t quite articulate with words. It’s a melody that just glides through me and is one of the few ways I truly still feel.

Do you have any funny or humbling memories from your first major audition or performance?

I was once signed by Geri Halliwell and Simon Fuller, and we were performing to the executives at ABC as a TV show pitch.

Mid-song, one of us knocked over a lamp and, for some reason, couldn’t shake off our laughter. We then continued to sing “Build This Dream Together” with our eyes streaming, harmonies disintegrating, and a very angry-looking Simon Fuller in the corner of the room. That dream was certainly not built.

Looking back so far this year, what accomplishment are you most proud of?

Okay, so I’ve achieved some once-in-a-lifetime music moments and film leads, but I would actually say my greatest accomplishment is my ability to find so much joy in the world.

Even after almost having it all (many times) and then suddenly finding myself back in a nine-to-five, I’ve been able to appreciate it all. The ability to be on a set one day and then in a grey office the week after, but still feel incredible, is something I’m proud of. It’s tough and shouldn’t be undervalued.

KUSH KHANNA

Was there a fictional character or film hero who inspired you while growing up?

Okay, this sounds crazy because I don’t even remember his character anymore, but I adored The Mask! His sense of style, energy, confidence, and madness, I take a lot of that subconsciously into my day-to-day life now.

Who has been the biggest influence on your creative journey?

I really love people who have the ability to create but still have authenticity in them. People like Adele, Amy Winehouse, Jacob Collier, Mark Ronson, Freddie Mercury, and Cecil Beaton. All very different lanes, but incredible nonetheless.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Non-toxic: Transportation. Toxic one: The ability to say some-thing and it be the truth.

Are you currently reading, watching, or listening to anything inspiring?

I’ve just finished Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s this amazing dystopian commentary on life and its value. Currently, I’m binging Sienna Spiro’s album mixed in with Confidence Man for vibes. I’m also watching Testaments, which is the Handmaid’s Tale sequel.

Is there a quote or lyric that really speaks to you?

“You dream in a different language, I cannot understand.” It has so many layers.

Talking or texting?

Talking, but I’m excellent at texting.

How would you describe your personal style?

Color theory on tap.

What’s your ideal way to switch off from work?

A games night or late-night pub crawl.

What does your grooming or self-care routine look like?

Cleanse and tone every day and night. Exfoliate once a week. I use Pixi Glow Tonic, Kiehl’s Facial Fuel, caffeine under-eye treatment from The Ordinary, an my mum’s homemade elixir — a concoction of things — every day. I also never forget my SPF50 all year round.

What do you think people find most attractive about you?

My sense of style and joy for the world.

What advice would you give your younger self about confidence and creativity?

You attract the energy that surrounds you, and you create the world around you. Creativity will come in many different forms. Don’t assume you have one lane to explore it. By being you and you alone, you’ll realise that creation isn’t this big thing. It’s the small pops of color you place in your room. The late-night poems. The little curl on your forehead, softly falling. It’s the pitch deck that’s meticulously designed to your choice of bedding.

KUSH KHANNA

What genuinely makes you happy outside of work?

People who love life.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs.

What do you value most in your friendships?

The agreement that youth will not be wasted on the young. Our level of madness, spontaneity, love, and support for each other’s little to big wins.

How do you stay physically and mentally balanced?

I laugh and I cry, and I accept that one cannot live without the other. I talk to people about everything. I exercise three times a week. Dancing in a club counts, by the way.

What quality do you most admire in a woman?

Empathy and power. I love nothing more than seeing a woman on the top.

Is there a social issue or cause you feel strongly connected to?

Naturally, LGBTQI rights and elevating the global majority forward. I feel we are missing a huge trick in our education system, as it all needs to start from the beginning. This battle that we are always fighting — and more so than ever now — is only getting deeper, like a horrific wound that will not heal.

Another thing I feel super passionate about is tackling the loneliness epidemic that we have globally. It breaks my heart to think there is someone out there who has no one.

Is there a social issue or cause you feel strongly connected to?

Favorite city in the world so far?

Torn between New York, London, and Paris.

KUSH KHANNA

In your opinion, what makes a perfect man? We know you have something to say about it.

In my opinion, a perfect man is a man who doesn’t seek validation from other men to feel his power.

He is a man who sits in both his masculinity and his femininity. Someone who wakes up every morning and makes a real effort to leave people feeling better than when they first encountered him, but also someone who takes pride in himself.

Someone who is growing, but also respects rest and creates every day.

If he were music, he would be a minor into major chord. It feels
resolved, yet the next note is unpredictable. That’s the antithesis of my perfect man: predictability.

Perfection is such an interesting concept, as my perfect is always a work in progress. Though you would never catch him in a pair of trackies
— unless, of course, he’s roleplaying for me.

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