Darshan Raval’s latest single, Baarishon mein, is coloured by his signature smooth vocals and a yearning that is easy to associate with the forlorn Bolly lover in the rain. Sung as well as composed by Raval, the single released earlier this month. One of ‘monsoon special’ songs, he has been releasing them since 2015. Here are excerpts from his chat with The Telegraph.
Why did you choose monsoon as a theme for this annual release cycle?
I love monsoon songs and the season itself, which is why I started this entire tradition. When I released my first monsoon special track, Ishq chadha hai, I remember I had come to Kolkata to perform that as well and people really loved the song. I got a great response from everyone. The next year, I released another monsoon special song, and slowly, it became a ritual for everyone. Everyone wanted to keep listening and I too, love making monsoon-themed songs. Most of the melodies that I make, I make it during monsoon. I feel the season more than any other, so I like to make my songs during that time. That’s how it all started and now we are at the eighth monsoon song.
Could you give us insights into the composing of Baarishon mein? What inspired the lyrics?
The melody was made a year or a year-and-a-half ago and then, we started the whole writing process. The song is written by Gurpreet Saini and Gautam Sharma. The music has been produced by Anmol Daniel. We made drafts and drafts and drafts and there was a time when I thought I don’t want to sing the song, maybe I am not doing it enough justice. But the process has still been beautiful. We recorded and rerecorded it and then, took a break for about six months where we didn’t touch the song before getting into it again. The melody is something that my fans would love and it’s a very ‘Darshan Raval’ melody. I also saw on social media that at the beginning of 2021 I had apparently said that I will not make sad songs anymore and now almost a year later, I have made a sad song once again. I did a lot of happy songs last year and even this year, Goriye is a happy song. So, I think it is the time for a sad song again, as people would like to hear it.
How has the music scene in India evolved ever since your debut? And how have you tried to remain in tune with audience demands?
There are trends and phases that come and go. But for me, music is all about melody and lyrics. The soundscape might change and trends might change, but, if the melody is true and the lyrics are nice, there is no time or trend for a song. There are 50-year-old songs that people still love and dance to, whenever you play them. So, I always focus on making a good song. People listen to different kinds of songs and there’s no explaining that but if someone has made a good song, even while sitting in their room and recorded with a phone, if their voice is nice and their melody is good, they won’t need anything else. The song has to be true, the emotions have to be true and then everything follows.
Is there any dream project that you would like to take on?
I used to think when I started to make songs and when I was starting to get popular, that I want to do things this way or that way. But after Covid, my mindset has changed and I want to be in the present. The song that I am doing right now is my dream project. The next song I will be doing, that will be my dream project at that time. I have put all my hard work and efforts into my current song and once that is out, I will be working on my next dream project. I have not thought about anything like what do I need to do moving forward. Whatever is next is what I will be doing then.
What does the future hold, for you and your audience?
There are a lot of songs that I am working on. The last few months have been the longest musical gap that I have taken but, the second half of the year is going to be more musical and people will be hearing a lot more from me. I have been a little off from social media as well but I have been making songs and performing. Now, all those songs are ready and people will get to listen to them back-to-back.
His favourites....
Last movie loved: 777 Charlie
Current favourite songs: Glimpse of Us by Joji, Phir na aisi raat aayegi by Arijit Singh, Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya
Travel essentials: Guitar, headphones and proteins