Showing posts with label Raghu Dixit interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raghu Dixit interview. Show all posts
Audiences don't realize what they are missing out on when they remain immersed in their phones-Raghu Dixit
3:43 PM
“Fans now use reels and selfies to show their love for their favourite artistes”
BOMBAY TIMES (June 29, 2024)
It is true that my fanbase has increased tremendously because of the many audience videos made at my concerts. However, it is also a fact that I always discourage people from recording while they are at my gigs.
The minute I get on to the stage, I see so many hands go up in the air, all with phones busy recording every moment. I often joke about this. I tell them that I am not all that good looking for them to need to record this for posterity. I have used humour but been firm and asked the audience to stop recording, because they do not understand what they are missing out on when they remain immersed in their phones. I really wish people would put their devices aside and enjoy the experience of being at the show, soaking in the intensity of the performance and the artiste they have come to watch.
Having said that, I realize sometimes the recording is a genuine effort. For instance, when I am performing at a venue in London and a member in the audience records part of the show to share it with those who could not make it, it can be an attempt to make them a part of the experience.
Unfortunately, often these videos are not really a way to go back in time and relive an experience. Instead, these are shot and uploaded to just show off how cool life is, to friends and others on social media. Just because you are attending a concert. Call it peer pressure, or the need for validation or just an attempt to make others who could not be there, envious. I still understand a 30 or 40-second video recording, but I have seen people live stream the whole concert on social media and it befuddles me.
I feel the way we show our love for our artistes has changed drastically over time. In the early 2000s, I recall not missing even one of Thermal and a Quarter’s performances. I continue to love the band for their songwriting skills, Bruce Lee Mani’s captivating performances and admire the fact that they are a band with members who have stuck together for decades without letting anything come in their way. It does not matter to them if they get to a certain gig or what the audience demands. Back then, as fans, we would support our favourite artiste by buying all the latest CDs, their merchandise or even the little booklets they would distribute at the venue. We would follow their music and the growth of the performers.
Today, selfies, video clips and reels seem to be the way fans show their love for their favourite musicians. And I get that. In fact, I make it a point to repost every clip or reel that fans have made and it is their way of expressing their love for me and my work. At Lollapalooza, there were so many videos that I crossed the limit on reposts of fan stories. I realize, a musician reposting a fan’s post is gratification for the fan and establishes a certain bond between them.
Not all venues have the same approach to this. Certain auditoriums across the world do restrain people from recording the show at any cost. This is important for certain forms of art such as dance and theatre – as there are more complicated IPs to protect. It may not be as complicated for musicians. In fact, I see people recording at my shows as a tool to augment the popularity of my band and create a buzz for my next show.
I have lived only for music ever since I discovered it-Raghu Dixit
7:32 AM
Deepali Singh (DNA; June 21, 2019)
Just like many of us, Raghu Dixit too, has his moments of doubts when it comes to where his life is going. That’s when music comes to his rescue.
The singer-composer and frontman of the multilingual folk music band Raghu Dixit Project, admits that he’s often plagued by the feeling that he should step away from the chaos towards a calmer, quieter life. “There are moments of frustration and disappointment, especially when you work really hard and the results are not as you expected. That’s when I go back to that moment when I first held a guitar in my hand and sang. There was a feeling of inexplicable gush of joy when I discovered my voice when I was 20. I ask myself if I feel even a little percentage of that joy and so far, the answer has been ‘yes’. Then I trudge through that moment of despair, simply because I love doing what I do,” he tells us.
It’s one of the lessons music has given him that the artiste applies to other areas of his life as well. “I apply it to relationships and friendships. Sometimes you go through a phase when you lose out on connections. Then you question yourself, if you should hang on or get out. If you feel even a little of the first joy you felt in the initial stages of your relationship, then it’s worth hanging on to. Luckily, my bond with music is still standing when everything else has failed!” he laughs.
The 44-year-old, who The Guardian, UK, dubbed, ‘India’s biggest cultural export’ is happiest when he’s performing live on stage. “It’s totally worth every other heartburn that happens off stage. That one hour when I’m performing is totally mine. Nothing else even comes close to that absolute joy — it’s unbeatable,” he says. The microbiologist-turned-musician believes that music has brought an amazing story to his life — “bigger and better than any blockbuster,” — he laughs. “I have lived only for music ever since I discovered it. There is very little I think about apart from just doing music and performing in front of audiences,” adds Raghu, informing us that work on his third album is going on and fans can look forward to a multilingual soundtrack album from them this time around.
The success of Chef’s music has made us realise the power of cinema-Raghu Dixit
7:58 AM
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; September 24, 2017)
"Recently, we were at a music festival in Chandigarh, and there were five bands lined up before us. Everyone played either Punjabi music or Bollywood music on the dhol. The audience was lapping it up, and the band and I were just getting nervous,” says singer-songwriter Raghu Dixit, known for his folk leanings and his band The Raghu Dixit Project. “Then we came on, and the first four songs were thanda, but as soon as we played Shugal Laga Le from Chef, people started getting into it, and they even sang along to the Kannada songs after me. We made Punjabis sing in Kannada!”
It’s Dixit’s first time as music director for a Bollywood film — Saif Ali Khan-starrer Chef, adapted from the Hollywood film of the same name, and directed by Raja Krishna Menon. “I had a block as far as the Hindi film industry was concerned, but the success of Chef’s music has made us realise the power of cinema.”
Dixit says he didn’t think of pursuing a career in Bollywood. It was by chance that Menon heard his music. In the beginning, he was brought on for one song [Shugal...], and later decided to pitch for the entire film score. “Usually, it takes two years before your fans know the lyrics of an indie album. But a Bollywood release introduces your song instantly to the audience.”
Working for a mainstream film didn’t mean a change in how he made music. Dixit says he went about it organically — first asking for the script and then going with his gut feeling on how to make the music. “I am very bad at being told make a song sound a particular way. I am good at imagining the situation and thinking up tunes, and I am glad I got that freedom,” says the 42-year-old Bengaluru resident.
What he did imagine was a tapestry of music, using instruments and styles that range from all over India. The movie, which travels from Kerala to Delhi via Goa, has music that uses Kerala percussions, Samba and Punjabi beats.
For now, Dixit is busy working on his next indie release, which is a collaboration with the Berklee Indian Ensemble. He is also looking for a home in Mumbai. “Yes, I have finally decided to make the shift. As a band we had hit the ceiling, and often asked ourselves ‘what now?’. The answer to that is Bollywood.”
I wouldn't call it revival of independent music-Raghu Dixit
7:46 AM
Raghu Dixit discusses the current indie music scene; says he's working on a Bollywood project
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; November 22, 2016)
His music is termed 'happy' and 'infectious'. Raghu Dixit and his multilingual folk band, the Raghu Dixit Project (RDP), have been popularising Indian tunes across the globe for several years. Apart from a huge following in India, RDP has a big fan base abroad (they performed for the Queen of England recently). The outfit blends Indian ethnic sounds with music influences from around the world. Ask him which international genre he would want to explore next, and Raghu says, "I listen to a lot of Caribbean music these days. I would love to compose something with it."
While most musicians feel that independent music has been revived in India, Raghu holds a different opinion. "I wouldn't call it revival," he says, explaining, "Independent music has always been around. But, more people are discovering it now. There are far more choices and genres today. Also, with the help of the Internet, indie artistes can share their work online and reach out to a wider audience. It has helped them garner an international following as well."
RDP has a packed gig schedule. They performed at Baleno Wicked Weekends recently. Having performed at prestigious festivals in various parts of the world, does he find a difference between the audience in India and abroad? "None. Our music has been appreciated wherever we have travelled. While playing abroad, I ensure I don't describe the music. I put in all my heart and soul into putting out music that people listen to and understand in spite of language barriers," says Raghu, who is working on a few singles, and the soundtrack of a Bollywood project. "I can't talk about it. I will start recording for it soon, though."
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