He is unlike the quintessential diasporic Indian, whose creativity has been influenced by the roots. Raghav’s accomplishments have nothing Indian about them.
An acclaimed musician who plays funk, hip-hop, R&B, Bollywood, reggae, Indian classical music, Raghav is among the top chartbusters whose music is widely sold across the world.
In the City as part of a four-city tour, Raghav spoke to Metrolife about his music.
He says that he hates to compartmentalise his music and likes to describe it as ‘honest’. And what’s got him thus far? “Just don’t lie, be honest,” he beams.
He says that he loves club music and plays just about anything he feels like.
“Music of the 1970s and 1980s particularly excite me. It is downright honest,” he says.
He writes on topics that confront one every moment. Conflict, love and happiness are the themes he explores and delves into a great deal.
He hasn’t been involved with Bollywood music a great deal but he has composed a new song for the film industry titled, Last Night, where he talks about the trauma caused by one-night stands in guys. “Guys are just as vulnerable as girls. Just that it’s not visible because it’s clouded by this whole macho veneer,” he says.
Raghav has had an illustrious career as a musician. His new album My Kinda Girl, was a much hyped and long awaited one. He sold an imposing 1.3 million copies of his 2004 debut album Storyteller around the globe.
With four smashing hits on the top ten, So Confused, It Can't Be Right, Can't Get Enough and Let's Work It Out, Raghav had the world grooving to Indi-pop and R&B. His Angel Eyes was proof that various genres could be fused with ease.
Raghav thinks that any art form, which comes straight from the heart, is widely accepted. “You have 20 smash hits but if none of them is honest then you’d be lost,” he reasons.
Raghav hopes to collaborate with A R Rahman and perform alongside him one day. And he confesses he’s a big fan of Nelly Furtado, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. “MJ’s music is incomparable and Rahman makes natural music and is an Indian musician with a global feel,” he says.
The word ‘fusion’ sort of infuriates Raghav. “You can’t fuse just about anything together. One must learn the basics of every genre and build on it,” he says and adds, “improvisation and spontaneity give me a high.”
Raghav seems to have wed to music for he says, “Music is my life, without it I would be depressed.”
