Pop sensation Darshan Raval on being an independent artiste and his new track, Hawa Banke
For Darshan Raval, even the chaos in Mumbai cannot wean the magic of monsoon. He remembers it was raining when he first came to the city and the imagery of lush greenery of the Aarey Milk Colony in the suburbs has stayed with him. The season has since then held sway over him. “I don’t set out anywhere much and see this as an opportunity to spend time with my family and friends since it’s a lean season for live gigs. And I make music,” he smiles. Speaking of, he dropped his single, Hawa Banke, yesterday. The Indipop sensation has been releasing one monsoon-special track every year (Ab Phir Se Jab Baarish, Yeh Baarish and Baarish Lete Aana) and this is the latest one. He says that he almost decided against it because there are plethora of similar songs releasing. “But I received so many messages from my fans saying that if I didn’t release it, monsoon would be incomplete. So, that motivated me,” he tells us. Pressure to do better We ask Darshan if such demands also pressured him to make it better than the previous ones, and he says, “I’m under pressure with every song because every time, my fans break all the previous records by making the single even more popular.” The Kamariya singer adds, “Right from the inception of a number, I know that I have to make it better whether it’s my singing, composition or the video.” Since it’s an indie song, it has to work on its merit, as there are no frills such as a star featuring in it, high-value production, marketing and so on. Point out to him that he doesn’t need a star to make the song a hit because he is one himself now and he laughs, “I wouldn’t like to tell myself that! I love performing and acting in my videos but it’s my fans that have made me what I am, so they are the stars for me.”
Reviving Indipop
Darshan is one of singers credited for reviving the Indipop as he has been releasing non-film music since 2014, much before it became as big as it is today. “I feel good that so many artistes are doing independent music. There was a time when people didn’t see beyond Bollywood music, but now, anyone who makes a good song has the opportunity to take it to the audiences. As for me, I’ve always wanted to create my own music. I’m glad that social media and the web has given artistes like me a scope to grow.” Initially, it was extremely difficult to invest his own money in his projects. “There was no popularity or shows. Whatever money I saved from performances, I used in creating tracks. Now, it’s much better because of the number of performances I have. But I make sure to give back to music whatever I earn from it.” The fact that this was all he ever wanted to do kept him going through the lean phase. “There’s been a lot of learning. I don’t think I would have been what I am today without the struggle,” he emphasises.
More good music coming up
Darshan has always maintained that he will always make private music regardless of Bollywood projects. After Ek Ladki Ko Toh Dekha Toh Aisa Laga title track this year, he will have a film song only in 2020. “I have a couple of non-film singles that I am working on but next year will have both.” Even if he is not releasing anything, Darshan has made it a practice to compose a piece every single day.
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 "Darshan Raval")
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