Stairway to Success : Darshan Raval

The lockdown may have meant different things to different people, but for Darshan Raval, it has been a time to take a deep dive into the ocean called music. “I have created the maximum number of songs during this lockdown. I have worked really hard and I’m trying to be a better version of myself,” reveals the musician with a smile. Post Asal Mein, which has garnered more than 100 million views on YouTube, the singer with the golden voice has regaled his fans with Bhula Dunga, Ek Tarfa and Ek Tarfa Reprise. The good news is that he has a lot more in store for them! “Usually, I come out with three or four songs in a year, but I’m going to increase that number so that people at least have good music to listen to in these difficult times,” he adds. The Gujarati lad shares his journey with TMM, and reveals some interesting anecdotes from his early days as a struggling musician…

What are some of your earliest memories of music?
In my family, my mom was the one who used to like music and she sent me to learn the guitar. The teacher said he is too young to learn. Toh mera bachpan se hi seekhne se mann uth gaya tha (laughs). Then I joined Shree Swaminayaran Gurukul and started enjoying music. I started watching and listening to music on YouTube. I would go to concerts, listen and observe. In Ahmedabad, there is a shop called VS musicals that sells guitars. The owner is a very good friend of mine. Money was an issue those days and he would give me discounts and lend me guitars for my shows. Musicians would come to his shop to buy guitars and end up jamming there. One of my first jamming sessions was at his guitar shop. There were a lot of tuition centres nearby, so students would drop by and listen to us. Jamming with the musicians, interacting with the students gave me a lot of confidence.

You studied engineering but veered off to music…
I was not a good student. I had already started earning. I had a band and I was doing shows. It was very difficult for me to focus on studies and travel and do shows at the same time. I was asked to quit college by the authorities. My father asked me what I want to do and I said I want to make music. I was enrolled for a music course but I am really bad at classical singing and I started failing there as well. That’s when I got an opportunity at a reality show, India’s Raw Star. I had also started doing covers on YouTube and was getting shows. I came to Mumbai and ever since then, I have only been travelling and working.

Darshan Raval, What do you consider a turning point in your career?
There have been a lot of them but I think the most important turning point came when I lost the reality show. My mom was heartbroken. I hadn’t slept for five days straight. The only thought in my head when they were about to announce the result was that I just want to sleep after this! Till today, I’m really glad the winner was a person who deserved it. My mother told me that your actual journey starts now, because by then, a lot of people knew me and it was all about what I did from thereon that mattered. I have a tattoo of the date when the show got over.

How much did Bollywood contribute to your success?
When the show ended, people started saying that now you have around three months to prove yourself because some other show will come on air and you will be forgotten. I was doing independent music but it was just growing at that time. Not many people understood YouTube and what some of us were trying to do on it. I thought the moment a Bollywood song comes out, my life will change. I sang two lines for a Salman Khan song from Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo but nothing happened after that. Then other songs like Kheench Meri Photo came out, which were hits but I eventually realised that it’s a good song that changes a person’s life. It doesn’t matter if it’s a film song or not, or if it’s picturised on a big actor or not. The song has to be good.

You have been doing more independent music than playback singing for movies…
That’s because I only sing songs that I like. I come out with three or four singles in a year. I work on them till I am completely satisfied. I can’t do that with film songs. I just want to do good music.

You are very expressive about your love for your fans, especially on your social media…
I think the biggest of artistes – whether it’s Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan – they are all who they are because of their art and the love of people. I am thankful to God for the art that I have and equally thankful for the love and motivation I get from my fans.

Would you be interested in acting on screen?
I did a Gujarati film but it was not completed and never released. Bollywood offers also came but I have realised that I can’t do two things. Movie making is a time-consuming process and that will take me away from music. I can act in my music videos because that’s done in 10-15 days. I’m very focused. I have said no to a lot of offers and now people know that I don’t want to act in films.

Darshan Raval, You have achieved so much fame and success at such a young age. How do you not let all that get to your head?
I was around 19-years-old when I tasted fame for the first time. That was a few years ago and now, it’s become part of my life. I know it is all because of the work that I do. Things like looks or the kind of person I am are secondary. People have fallen in love with my music and if that goes away, everything will go. So, my focus should be my music. One person is making music and the other person in front is feeling it. It’s that simple an emotion.

FAST TRACK

Songs you wish you had sung
Channa Mereya from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Pal from the movie Monsoon Shootout

A musician you wish you could have met
Kishore Kumar for sure! What a mind-blowing performer-entertainer he was. I wish I was born in that era and had a chance to see him perform live.

What kind of a dresser are you?
Shorts and T-shirts kind! (smiles)

An actress you would like to take out on a date
Samantha Prabhu

A song that’s playing for you on loop
A song called Old Skool by Sidhu Moose Wala. I don’t understand a word of the song but I love its vibe.

An instrument you wish to learn
Flute

Advice to newcomers
People tend to lose hope really fast here. There is pressure from home and friends. I have felt that pressure. When they ask you hopefully ‘Aur aajkal kya kar rahe ho?’. It’s the most difficult thing to answer when nothing is happening. You have to be really patient here and you have to believe in your heart that things will happen for you. And they will happen if you are patient and you keep working hard. 100 per cent!

By Deepali Singh

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