In “What the Troll?,” Shweta Harve Strikes a Defiant Chord Against Digital Cruelty

The internet has no shortage of noise—shouting matches disguised as discourse, anonymous barbs cloaked in snark, cruelty passed off as honesty. It’s easy to get lost in it, to become either desensitized or demoralized. But in her new single “What the Troll?”—released on February 13—Pop singer-songwriter Shweta Harve does something both timely and vital: she stares straight into the digital abyss and sings back.

Backed by Italian composer Dario Cei and producer Serhii Cohen, Harve delivers a sleek, sharp pop track that feels less like a rant and more like a scalpel—precise, deliberate, and unapologetically direct. Built around a minimalist electronic beat that pulses with tension, the song rejects both victimhood and vitriol. Instead, it carves out space for resilience.

Harve’s lyrics read like a refusal letter. “Hey cold lousy troll / How hideous is your goal?” she intones with measured calm, as if dissecting the pathology of online cruelty in real time. Her voice—smooth, unshaken, almost conversational—refuses to grant trolls the emotional chaos they seek. That in itself is radical. Pop music has often flirted with themes of empowerment, but rarely has it captured the quiet triumph of disengagement as power.

The refrain—“I won’t feed you, nor react”—echoes like a mantra, a self-imposed boundary drawn not out of fear, but strength. Harve doesn't shout them down; she denies them access. The result is a form of sonic aikido—using the momentum of hate to reinforce one’s own composure.

Musically, “What the Troll?” stays lean, resisting the urge to overwhelm with production tricks. There’s no dramatic swell or over-the-top breakdown. Instead, it relies on a tight rhythmic foundation and subtle shifts in synth texture to support Harve’s delivery. It’s the kind of restraint that speaks to trust—in the message, in the lyrics, and in the listener’s intelligence.

But it’s the accompanying music video that broadens the song’s impact. Harve teamed up with Feel Crew, a Mumbai-based lyrical dance troupe known for socially conscious storytelling. Their choreography transforms the track into something nearly theatrical—an emotional landscape where movement becomes language. Every twist, fall, and synchronized gesture becomes a stand-in for psychological tension, a visual echo of the harm that online harassment inflicts. The dancers don’t just interpret the song—they embody its stakes.

Feel Crew, who rose to prominence as finalists on India’s Dance+ television series, are known for channeling activism through performance. Their collaboration with Harve is more than aesthetic; it’s philosophical. Both artist and dancers share a commitment to calling out injustice without resorting to spectacle. The video unfolds like a conversation between trauma and agency—between what the internet does to us, and what we choose to do in return.

There’s a thread of compassion running through Harve’s work that’s easy to miss amid the assertiveness. Even as she exposes the damage caused by anonymous malice—“Enormous is the toll / Caused by your troll”—she refrains from mirroring the cruelty. The final verses hint at something else entirely: healing. “Look yourself in the mirror / You may see your own terror,” she sings—not as a threat, but almost as an invitation to self-awareness. That’s what makes this song different. It’s not about annihilating the enemy—it’s about challenging them to change.

In the landscape of 21st-century pop, where self-expression often gets flattened into branding, “What the Troll?” reclaims songcraft as social commentary. Harve doesn’t just want to vent; she wants to rewire how we interact online, to shift the algorithm away from hate and back toward empathy.

It’s a big ambition. But with a beat this crisp, a message this clear, and a collaboration this thoughtful, Shweta Harve makes it feel not only possible—but necessary.

--Jon Parker