Singing in the rains

Darshan Raval says he is his most creative during the monsoons. 'Jannat Ve', his latest single, is a product of that

Monsoon tracks have become a ritual in the Indian music industry. And Darshan Raval has been delivering these earworms year on year for more than six years now. This year, he has dropped ‘Jannat Ve’ on YouTube.

In an interview with Metrolife, Darshan talks about this song, monsoon, his muse, and more.

What are the key ingredients of a monsoon track?

There is nothing specific about monsoon songs. Every year, I wait for monsoons to arrive, and with it, I wait for the melody to come (to me naturally). I feel that I am fairly more creative during this season, and most of my song-making happens during the monsoons. This year’s monsoon track is entirely opposite from what you heard so far. It is not a sad song this time.

What inspired ‘Jannat Ve’?

My fans are the sole inspiration for my songs.

How has the pandemic affected independent artistes?

Good music never needs any backing. If the music is true and honest, songs will make their way to people’s hearts. But, yes, pandemic has affected the music creation process. In order to create music, the artist has to experience emotions.

Since we are not going out or meeting people much, the whole experience is kind of hampered. Artists are not performing either. Your discography has Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Bengali songs.

What skills should a multilingual singer hone?

I try to have somebody around who is proficient in the language and who can guide me.

There are certain aspects, like pronunciation, accent, etc., that one might need help with. I also take help from lyricists and composers.