Nothing titillates the senses and seduces the soul more than a beautifully composed song that you can listen to on the way to work, groove to amongst friends on a night about town, or relate to when you’re with that special someone. There seems to be only one album everyone is talking about and that is Storyteller by the suave, smooth and sexy singer/songwriter Raghav Mathur. Having conquered the UK charts with a fan base not limited to the South Asian community, as well as receiving numerous awards along the way, Raghav now sets his sights on North America, performing to a barrage of admirers and bagging the SAMA 2005 Award for Outstanding Contemporary Musical Artist on his arrival.
Born and raised in Canada, this Calgary Flames fan ignites sound waves with his eclectic style of music, influenced by a childhood raised amongst the rich melodies of India and heart pounding rhythms of the west. What appears to be an overnight success story is a lifelong journey fuelled by a single mindedness and steadfast belief in an art form, which has proven to hold a universal appeal.
In just moments of chatting with him, I was made aware that here exists an old soul residing in a young, idealistic man, ensconced in passion for his craft and happy with what the fates have bestowed on him. But there’s so much more than meets the eye, as I’m sure you’ll agree in this, his most revealing interview to date!
Read On…
How does a boy who grew up in Calgary, Canada, wind up as one of the biggest South Asian singing sensations to hit U.K. mainstream pop?
I’ve had an interest in music since I was five-years-old and the interest was very deep and passionate. It’s all that I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, and if you add that up with supportive parents and a great musical environment where we loved to listen to different genres of music, it was a natural progression for me to take an interest in singing and for my parents to encourage it.
So you had no problem convincing your loved ones that this nontraditional, high risk, few-ever-succeed career path was what you wanted to dedicate your life to?
Well if my parents were worried about it, they did a really good job of hiding it! When I was in high school, I had a very supportive music teacher and I spent all of my time in the music room listening to different types of songs and writing different types of music. My parents probably didn’t know exactly how I was going to do this as a career, but when all these opportunities came up where I could go to school and work with all kinds of people that I wanted to work with, I was really honest with my family as to what I wanted. Their happiness has always been intertwined with mine, and great families are based on communication, so it was a given that they would always encourage me to do what would make me happy.
What does music mean to you?
Music is one of the few things that matters the most to me in my life. Music, my family and my beliefs.
Clearly, you have a very personal relationship with music. Why music specifically as your personal form of expression?
I love music. It’s that simple. When I started writing songs, I loved the fact that I could tell a story through music and melody. Bollywood and semiclassical music was huge in our house. As a kid growing up, we had tons of musical parties within the extended family, and as kids, we were encouraged to participate. I guess I took it more to heart than anyone else.
How would you classify your style of music?
It’s just who I am. A lot of people sit there and say that he’s an R&B artist or a reggae artist or whatever, and I like that it kind of leaves people confused when they hear a jazz song from me all of a sudden or are surprised that I would record a Hindi song. As you know, I grew up in Calgary and one of the great things about growing up in a Canadian city is that it is a real melting pot of diversity, which has, for me, moved into all aspects of my life including my music.
In your songs, you move effortlessly from the R&B vibe in one sentence, to an intricate Hindi melody in the next. Is your vocal versatility due to working with specific voice coaches or is it all attributed to your childhood exposure to many forms of music?
I had some vocal training when I was much younger, but the real training came when I was around 17 with vocal coach Seth Riggs in Los Angeles. Seth was amazing! He did more for me in terms of handling myself in the business of music than my voice, but I think that he’s the best voice coach in the world and from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder, the world agrees. He teaches you that singing is nothing more than just talking with a few notes added to it. He simplifies it for you. It taught me that when you’re singing, you’re telling a story, you’re communicating, and since I grew up knowing two languages (English and Hindi), I was exposed just as much to Stevie Wonder as I was to Mohammad Rafi. But the seamlessness is more than that though. I’d like to think that it’s part of who we are as non-resident Indians who have grown up with no lines of separation between the culture of our ancestors and that of the environment that we have grown up in here in the West.
What of life’s experiences have incited emotions within you, and what have those emotions been that you’ve translated into your music?
Everything I write about and sing about have to be real life experiences, and that’s why the album is called Storyteller. I want to stress to people that I’m a singer/songwriter and not just a singer. I oftentimes feel more pride in my songwriting than the performance of a song because that’s such a big part of the art form. The conveying of emotions and communicating and sharing of them is so important to me. I cannot sing a song that I did not write because it would count as dishonest. I’ve done covers and that’s all cool, but if you’re going to put a song on your album, it’s got to be sharing something that you’ve experienced or you’ve seen first hand or someone very close to you has gone through. Otherwise, it will sound dishonest, and I think the public is quite astute at recognizing dishonesty. The best songs in the world are based on reality, and the most timeless songs are those laced with emotion. Emotions are the only language we all understand, and to portray them through a medium we can all recognize – music – I hope my message is conveyed and understood.
What’s the formula to connecting with your audience in live performances? How do you get your audience in sync?
If you go out their giving your audience 80 percent, you’ll get 80 percent back. If you go out there giving them 100 percent, there’s a real good chance that you’ll get back 100 percent. You as the performer have to initiate the connection in order for the audience to want to connect with you and your message.
South Asians in the UK have had the pleasure of enjoying your music for a few years, and now, you are wooing the South Asian market in North America. In your experience, are your fans different here versus the U.K.?
The only difference between the two markets is that in the U.K., South Asians have been in the forefront of media and entertainment for decades now, whilst in North America, the emergence of us has been relatively new. So if you’re in a club in New York or Toronto and they are playing songs by P. Diddy and Usher, and then all of a sudden there’s a song by someone from our community, South Asians are not so used to songs they would normally hear at gatherings from their own culture at such a mainstream level. Due to this, there is more of a sense of pride from North America, which I think is because of the newness factor.
How about India’s response to you?
India’s just manic! India is a country where its people like to build idols. When you go there, people treat you like an absolute superstar, which is great, and in itself humbling because it reminds you that you need to stay real to the art, otherwise you could end up doing this for the wrong reason. I’ve seen when stars are walking down the street in India, people just come up to them and start touching their feet as if they were God. I think that it’s dangerous to live in that haze because you could easily get caught up in the propaganda and start believing that the world owes you something. The one great thing about the positivity with which you are acknowledged as an Indian who has grown up outside of India is the acceptance factor. They connect with you as an Indian, and for those of us who have an insecurity about how Indian we really are or have an identity crisis, which we all go through on some level or other, it’s great to go to India and be accepted as an Indian success story.
Now that you’ve covered all of your bases on a South Asian level, you’re beginning to broaden your horizons by foraying into the mainstream music world. What steps are you taking to help this materialize?
Well the success that we have had has been in the mainstream. If you start saying that you have your success in the Indian community and then in the mainstream, you are kind of putting down the Indian community because the Indian community is every bit as mainstream as any other community. When I put a single out, I don’t do so with the mindset that South Asians will only buy it from South Asian stores because most of my record sales have been in mainstream stores to South Asians and to everyone else.
That maybe the case in the U.K., but in North America, there is still an availability distinction whereby South Asian music is confined to community stores. You cannot readily pick up a Raghav CD in HMV, but you could in your local, community South Asian store. Bearing this in mind, your approach in North America cannot be the same as it is in the U.K., so how will your strategy differ here?
It will not change. I would hope that when I sit down with my record label, they wouldn’t say that they have to market me differently to the pop and R&B mainstream market from the South Asian market. This was not the sentiment with which the music was made. My music was and is made for everyone who enjoys good music. I’m proud of my heritage just like Latino artists are proud of theirs. Cultural influences in their music didn’t hinder their success so why should it hinder mine?
Latin influenced music took many years before it broke into the mainstream and audiences started appreciating its vibe. Don’t you believe that South Asian influenced music will have to go through its process before it attains widespread, mainstream acceptability and sustaining power?
I’m convinced that where there are people who love good music, there will be a buying population for my music, irrespective of cultural biases.
You’re signed to an international label right now. How did that come about?
I’d been looking for a deal for about five to six years, and anyone who’s looking for a deal Knows how difficult it is. It’s a tough egg to crack. I put out two songs, “So Confused” and “Can’t Get Enough”, which came out almost simultaneously, both which cracked the top ten British charts. I was with A&R Records at that time. Shortly afterwards, A&R did a joint venture with V2, which is Richard Branson’s label (of VIRGIN Music and VIRGIN ATLANTIC fame). V2 has the power of a major record label with the mindset of an independent, artist driven label, giving me the creative control that I want.
What do you feel that you and your music have to offer on a global level that is unique, thus giving you a competitive edge?
It’s interesting because music isn’t anything like sports where you’re competing against someone. I’m not competing against Usher or Justin Timberlake, for example. I do what I do because it represents who I am. The great thing about being a fan of music is that if you love Craig David or Beyonce or Raghav, you can like and support all of us by listening to and buying our CDs. Even within the South Asian music scene, people ask me what other artists I’m competing against and I always say absolutely no one because you can like as many artists as you like, but with sports, typically, you would only root for one team or player per category. So to answer your question, my competitive edge is me, my art form and the passion and honesty with which I present both to the world. Both are very real and very organic.
How do you feel that you will achieve sustainability in such a competitive industry?
When you look at artists like Stevie Wonder who have been in the industry for over 30 years, he’s just gotten better and delivers songs that just get better and better. So to achieve or attempt to achieve this, I have to make sure that I don’t get complacent. And I must stop doing it if I stop loving it, but that will never happen because every day I wake up with the ability to right two or more songs a day. As long as the creative juices keep flowing the way that they are today, that’s the only responsibility that I feel I have.
What are your expectations from this industry and from your audience?
Of my audience, I want them to feel something. I don’t want to sell them on who I am. I want people to connect with me as a person.
Do you feel that the time is right for South Asian influenced music to hit and remain within the core of the mainstream music industry?
South Asian music will always be ‘in’ because there is deepness and richness to it that goes back thousands of years. This is definitely the right time because there is an emergence of a real movement across all genres of society that are adopting aspects of our culture. We have finally started to become a recognized norm everywhere.
How do you feel about being compared as the music industry’s equivalent of Aishwarya Rai?
She’s a tremendous artist who has been doing what she’s been doing now for a number of years. What I like about her is that she’s not afraid to take on new challenges. When you’ve made it in the way that she has in an industry as provocative as Bollywood, there’s nothing lacking in terms of money or fame. But she is open to entering a very new market where she has yet to really prove her worth, which in itself exposes you to the possibility that you might not succeed. She is open to that possibility though; she’s putting herself completely out there. In that sense, you could draw some similarities between her and me because I’m also putting myself out there, but to compare me to her is premature —she’s out there, I’m getting out there.
What is success to you?
To come home at the end of the day and be really happy and look forward to the next day.
OK, so in terms of being a singer, songwriter and performer, do you feel successful?
When I look at where I was five years ago, I was biting my nails just trying to get a deal and then trying to get a song released. I’m thankful that I’m not in that position today. Plus, I’m doing what I want to do and I’m happy doing it, so yes, I feel I’m very successful today.
In what ways do you feel that your success will impact the South Asian and wider mainstream communities?
I don’t know how one person can impact an entire community or communities. But I will tell you that when I was growing up, I had a great sense of pride when I would put on the CBC news and see Ian Hanomansingh (newscaster) on mainstream TV everyday because he looked like me and had a name like me. I hope one day that I too could incite a sense of pride in younger generations to be proud of being South Asian and aspiring to new heights. As far as the mainstream community is concerned, I hope that I, along with many other South Asian success stories across all industries, continue to keep the South Asian talent pool in the forefront and continue to create great role models.
Who is your role model?
I’ve got a really amazing family that taught me that there’s nothing more important than my happiness. These family members are my role models, and I hope that I’m able to give my children the same opportunities.
What stands out as the most challenging obstacle you have faced and overcome?
Leaving home and being alone in cities like Los Angeles and the west end of London, with no money and not knowing where I was going to go, where I was going to stay and what I was going to do. I had too much pride to call on my family and ask for money, so staying in really dodgy places I learned in a matter of months stuff that I would never have learned in a lifetime. Being out of your comfort zone is the most difficult thing for anybody. I could have gone back home and followed a road more traveled, but I’m so glad that I didn’t do that.
What obstacles have you yet to overcome?
Every time you put out a record, you think it could be your last. That’s an obstacle that I will always be faced with (hopefully). Every time, I pray to God that nothing goes wrong and that no one takes away my right to share my music.
Where’s that place you go to in moments of weakness and/or fear; that place where you put things in perspective and regain direction and strength?
I surround myself with great people to fall back on family, people from the industry, girlfriends.
Where does the crystal ball place you in five years?
Who knows…who knows! In ten years I hope to see myself married with a few kids. I don’t think that would happen in five years. In five years, I hope that I’ll be still making music and that I’ll still be happy.
God decides to give you one wish – what would it be?
Boy! The times that we live in today, if everybody doesn’t ask for world peace, there’s something seriously wrong. I’m really unhappy with everyone in the world fighting with one another right now. I know that sounds like something John Lennon would have said a couple of decades ago after a few spliffs, but what’s going on right now is out of control. It’s frightening because one day I want to have kids. You start thinking that you’re putting your kids into a seriously weird environment. There seems to be too much emphasis on the differences between us instead of the commonalities like simple humanity. So the one wish I would ask for is if everyone could just chill out!
What do you do in your down time?
I haven’t had down time in two years! I’ll tell you what I would do now, I’ll start watching hockey again now that they’ve signed that frickin’ CBA. I want to be in North America a lot this year, and I’m going to be watching some serious hockey. That’s my way of chillin’.
When you’re a hot, talented guy who dresses well and is never seen with a woman, it begs the question of clarification. So, Raghav, how come we never see you arm in arm with some hot babe from time to time? Is there some secret about your sexuality that you care to share?
(Shocked). Secrets surrounding my sexuality! There’s no secret about my sexuality, I don’t know where that comes from. My whole album is about different girls and girlfriends. If I were in a relationship right now, I would not be a very good boyfriend because my schedule is crazy. It’s not like I haven’t been dating, but there’s no need for me to advertise it, is there? It’s the one part of my life that lets me be on my own. But having said that, if I was in a long-term relationship of three years or something, I would celebrate it; I would tell the world about it. And for the record, there are NO qualms about my sexuality. I like my girls. It’s a matter of finding the right one I guess.
If you were able to create the perfect woman from women we all know from around the world, what components from who would you pick?
Well, Angelina Jolie’s got the baddest lips in the world. I think my woman would also have Priyanka Chopra’s nose and Aishwarya’s eyes because she’s got the most beautiful, deepest eyes in the world.
So we re sticking with the face; we re not going down south at all?
Well, she could have some of J.LO’s attributes down south, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Any advice for individuals aspiring a career in mainstream music?
There is one belief that stays with me: the art is in the heart. If you feel it, do it. If not, don’t.
If you didn’t go into music, what would you be today?
Unemployed.
First Published in Summer 2005 Issue, www.AnokhiMagazine.com.
Photo Credits:
PHOTOS DAVID VENNI
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