<p class="bodytext">In 2013, Rahul Prasad from Bengaluru was on a trajectory that could have landed him at the Olympics. He had hopes of representing India in badminton, a sport dominated by Asians. Prasad was ranked first in the state and was in the top 10 nationally. “I was preparing to move to Hyderabad to train further,”<br />he recalls. The dream was clearly well within his grasp.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, it came as a shock as much to himself as his friends and family when he decided to hang up his racket and switch to producing music instead. “I attended an Avicii concert in Bengaluru and felt inspired to make music,” says Prasad aka Renao. “I just knew music was my future,” adds the artiste, who moved to the United Kingdom in 2017 to pursue a course in music production.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Renao launched his debut double EP two weeks ago. Titled ‘A space between orange & blue’, it is an exploration of the relationship between his home, Bengaluru, and the country where he is currently based, the United Kingdom. It’s also a look into the concept of one’s identity, not just from the perspective of race and ethnicity, but as a whole. “It made sense to make honest music about my experience as a brown person moving to a Western country to pursue a dream,” he states.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Initially, he had every intention of producing music, but he kept singing off the table because of his accent. He was apprehensive about being ridiculed for it. He overcame it by hiring a vocal coach. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, he started posting clips of his music on TikTok. The response was phenomenal. Songs like ‘Wild wild west’ and ‘Nobody’ have earned him over 1.6 lakh followers and millions of streams. While his popularity gave him validation, it dawned on him that chasing instant gratification was not what he pursued music for. He had to get more serious and focus. This was the starting point for the new EP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Comprising 10 tracks, the album is a mix of genres ranging from indie-folk to soul and R&B. The songs capture varying moods, be it the lullaby guitar tunes in ‘Lake house’, the lively bass in ‘Blind’ or the soothing mellow vocals in ‘Break it down’ and ‘Lifeline’. It also taps into his childhood memories. In ‘Always be mine’, a few lines are performed by his grandmother, from a song she used to sing him when he was a little boy. “It’s the purest form of love in a song,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“My music is a direct representation of me,” he adds, and describes his sound as “honest, emotional and dreamy”.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Available on major streaming platforms.</span></p>
<p class="bodytext">In 2013, Rahul Prasad from Bengaluru was on a trajectory that could have landed him at the Olympics. He had hopes of representing India in badminton, a sport dominated by Asians. Prasad was ranked first in the state and was in the top 10 nationally. “I was preparing to move to Hyderabad to train further,”<br />he recalls. The dream was clearly well within his grasp.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, it came as a shock as much to himself as his friends and family when he decided to hang up his racket and switch to producing music instead. “I attended an Avicii concert in Bengaluru and felt inspired to make music,” says Prasad aka Renao. “I just knew music was my future,” adds the artiste, who moved to the United Kingdom in 2017 to pursue a course in music production.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Renao launched his debut double EP two weeks ago. Titled ‘A space between orange & blue’, it is an exploration of the relationship between his home, Bengaluru, and the country where he is currently based, the United Kingdom. It’s also a look into the concept of one’s identity, not just from the perspective of race and ethnicity, but as a whole. “It made sense to make honest music about my experience as a brown person moving to a Western country to pursue a dream,” he states.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Initially, he had every intention of producing music, but he kept singing off the table because of his accent. He was apprehensive about being ridiculed for it. He overcame it by hiring a vocal coach. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, he started posting clips of his music on TikTok. The response was phenomenal. Songs like ‘Wild wild west’ and ‘Nobody’ have earned him over 1.6 lakh followers and millions of streams. While his popularity gave him validation, it dawned on him that chasing instant gratification was not what he pursued music for. He had to get more serious and focus. This was the starting point for the new EP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Comprising 10 tracks, the album is a mix of genres ranging from indie-folk to soul and R&B. The songs capture varying moods, be it the lullaby guitar tunes in ‘Lake house’, the lively bass in ‘Blind’ or the soothing mellow vocals in ‘Break it down’ and ‘Lifeline’. It also taps into his childhood memories. In ‘Always be mine’, a few lines are performed by his grandmother, from a song she used to sing him when he was a little boy. “It’s the purest form of love in a song,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“My music is a direct representation of me,” he adds, and describes his sound as “honest, emotional and dreamy”.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Available on major streaming platforms.</span></p>