Showing posts with label Darshan Raval interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darshan Raval interview. Show all posts
Nobody asks Bollywood mein kya gaaya hai anymore-Darshan Raval
4:18 PM
Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; February 22, 2026)
Darshan Raval, who performed in Vadodara on Valentine's Day, says this concert felt “extra special.” Darshan, who tied the knot with Dharal Surelia in January last year, says, “Ab Valentine’s Day pe toh biwi ko saath mein le jaana padega na! It was the first time after our wedding that she could attend a live concert of mine. I couldn’t have celebrated the day in a better way.”
Darshan, known for hits like Taarifein, Chogada and Kamariya, adds, “I thoroughly enjoyed performing in Vadodara after a long time because I share a special connection with the city. Even before I participated in India’s Raw Star (the music reality show which made him famous), I used to come to Vadodara with my band for a college-level competition hosted by MSU. It was the first competition in which I participated with my band. So, my journey as a performer started here. Every time I perform in Vadodara, I fondly remember those days. I feel happy that so many of my songs are about love and romance. I love this genre. I love all songs by Pritam Chakraborty in this genre, and Tere Hawaale is one of my all-time favourites. Among my songs, Taarifein is very close to my heart.”
‘Non-film songs are ruling the charts now’
Happy with the way indie music has grown in India, Darshan says, “Earlier, when I used to say I want to do my own music, people would laugh and say, ‘That is fine, lekin Bollywood mein kya gaaya hai?’ Today, non-film songs are ruling the charts, and Bollywood songs often struggle to make it to the top 10 in these charts, which are made by the public. Nobody asks those questions now and there has been a complete shift, which makes me very happy.”
He adds, “Indie music has now become mainstream in our country. Artistes who haven’t sung many Bollywood songs also enjoy immense popularity and are doing a crazy number of concerts. People no longer ask me about Bollywood songs; they just ask, ‘Aap ka naya gaana kab aayega?’ It’s a big change, and new artistes are doing some amazing work.”
‘You have to upgrade your concerts’
With the growing number of concerts in the country, Darshan says, “As artistes, we have to constantly try and upgrade our concerts. I always try to make sure that even after listeners leave the concert, the performance stays with them. This year is going to be very special for my fans because be it concerts or new songs, there are some exciting announcements in store.”
He adds, “Constant travel and hectic schedules are an integral part of our job. However, even when I am not feeling 100 per cent, discomfort vanishes the moment I am on the stage. Even today, I feel the same excitement as I felt during my first live concert. It keeps me going.”
Asked about the impact of AI on music, he says, “At this point, AI seems to be a useful tool for musicians, and it has made lives easier. But these are early days and we have to wait and watch for the long-term impact.”
‘Had no idea life would be so beautiful after marriage’
Darshan, who celebrated his first wedding anniversary last month, says, “I had no idea that life would be so beautiful after marriage. Dharal and I have been best friends for 13 years, and we still share the same equation. I keep telling her that it feels like it’s just been a month since our wedding (smiles). I am grateful to have a supportive partner like her, who has always been with me during my ups and downs. We keep celebrating the little things and love listening to music together. It’s very comforting to have her around; it makes me feel at peace.”
If I don’t love a song, I cannot sing it-Darshan Raval
8:40 AM
Nikita Deb (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 23, 2020)
When he released a single called Ye Baarish, in 2017, it felt like a breath of fresh air, as Darshan Raval started his path to stardom in the Indian music industry. Of course, he had made his debut long back in 2015 with a song in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. But after he made a place for himself in the independent music industry, especially with a rain song every year, his popularity grew by leaps and bounds. He then went on to sing superhit Bollywood numbers such as Chogada (Loveyatri; 2018), Kamariya (Mitron; 2018), Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga; 2019) and Odhani (Made In China; 2019), among others.
Now, as Darshan releases another “heartbreaking single” for his fans and listeners, he feels that we need more original music in Bollywood. “We need a lot more of good sad songs and love songs in the form of original music in Bollywood,” he says, adding, that he has no idea why such few romantic numbers are created nowadays. “I think producers and composers will be able to find an answer to this question. I only make original songs and mostly sing original songs whether it’s in the independent genre or in the form of Bollywood music. In Bollywood, I can only try to sing originals, but when I make my independent music, I ensure I make originals,” says the singer.
Darshan’s latest hit from Love Aaj Kal — Mehrama — starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan has garnered over 150 million views on YouTube. The singer says that it was a “great experience” to sing for Pritam [Chakraborty; composer] da in an Imtiaz Ali film starring Kartik. “I want to thank my fans and all the credit goes to them for listening to the song and loving it so much,” says Darshan, adding, “When I got the offer to sing this song, it was a very hectic period for me. I was performing every day, and I was doing concerts back to back. So, when I went to record this song, I was extremely tired and my voice was tired too, but I think that pain and exhaustion in the voice was needed in this song. So, it worked out well.”
Darshan’s latest single Asal Mein is again a sad romantic number. But the singer says that he can sing songs in any genre as long as he “personally likes the song”. “I am comfortable doing the songs that I like. If I like a song when I hear its melody, I will sing it. If I don’t love a song, I cannot sing it. When I like a song, I do justice to it and people love it too,” says the Tera Zikr singer.
As for the trend of remakes ruling over the music industry currently, Darshan says that he is “nobody to comment on it”. “I personally love independent songs. But the rest is up to the audience. People make songs that the audience likes,” says the singer who reprised the song Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To (1942: A Love story; 1994) for the Sonam K Ahuja-starrer film of the same name in 2019.
Darshan also enjoys a huge fan following online and he says he is blessed to have the people that he does in his life. “It’s a great feeling when I get up in the morning to realise that there are millions of people who listen to my songs and wait for them. I am honoured, blessed and very happy that I have such amazing people in my life,” he says. The singer also says that given a choice to choose between Bollywood music and independent music, he would “most definitely choose indie music”. “I love Bollywood music and movies because I grew up watching them. But I think independent music is very close to my heart. However, at the end of the day, it is all music. We are the ones who differentiate or divide them in categories. After all, I love music so the thing is when I make indie music, I am the creator and I get the opportunity to compose as well, and make the song from scratch. In Bollywood, it is based on a situation and I have to sing according to that,” signs off Darshan.
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