Raghav

by Trevor Morelli

In 2007, The Globe and Mail called Raghav "Canada's best kept secret in the arts." But if you've lived in or around London, England, you know that Raghav's success isn't that much of a secret. In England, the 31-year-old Calgarian has already sold an impressive 1.3 million copies of his debut album Storyteller, and he's well on his way to becoming a household name all over the world with 2012's The Phoenix.

The Phoenix has already spawned three singles: "Fire," "Top Of The World," and "So Much," the latter of which featured fellow Canadian Kardinal Offishall and earned Raghav a Juno nomination for Soul/R&B Recording of the Year. "Fire," produced by the legendary Jim Beanz, has also found an audience with regular radio play in Canada, burning up the charts and already certified Gold by Music Canada with over 50,000 units sold.

An entirely independent artist, Raghav trained with Michael Jackson's vocal coach Seth Riggs, and he wrote a song for the King of Pop that was set to be recorded before the icon's unfortunate passing in 2009. "Love" was sure to be a smash hit for Jackson but instead Raghav was left to record the track himself. He takes pride in maintaining the meaning and message in the song, and he knows that listeners will feel connected to the track as soon as they hear it.

On The Phoenix, Raghav brings a fresh new sound that builds on his past successes. Raghav may be a secret in some parts of the world right now, but he's about to be uncovered in a major way.

Raghav spoke with us about his hit singles, the challenges he faces by doing things on his own, and the positive wisdom that he's always willing to share with others.
Trevor Morelli (Songfacts): I read that you were talking to students at Lester B. Pearson High School in Calgary today. How did that go?

Raghav: It was good. There were quite a few kids. I did it in Surrey last week, as well, when I was in BC in Vancouver. Our industry has changed so much. There are so many questions kids have that aren't just creative. It's like it's so hard to pinpoint a formulaic way about getting started in this business. I just try to not impart wisdom, but at least tell them my journey and hopefully they can find a path that works for them. It's pretty tough, you know.

Songfacts: Do you find that aspiring musicians are knowledgeable about the professional side of the business, or is that where most of the questions come from?

Raghav: Actually, I find it's absolutely the opposite. I find for some reason in our society, we make people in the arts feel like they just need to worry about the creative side of it. And while I agree that is the most important part, you can't be making music for the wrong reasons. There should be some guidance and some path that you should be able to follow, and someone who you should be able to ask questions to about how it is.

We're so vague. I suppose part of it is it's a vague industry. There's no real answer. You don't get a degree and then become a singer, right? But it would be nice if kids knew their options a little bit more coming out of high school and how they could get involved, and the various jobs that are in the music industry. It's not just being a singer, necessarily.

Songfacts: Let's talk a bit about your new album, The Phoenix. Why did you pick the song "So Much" to be the first single?

Raghav: You know, for "So Much," it was about the sound. I wrote the song in 2010 with this kid named Labyrinth and now he's the most sought after producer on the planet. He's working with Tinie Tempah and just cut a record for the Usher album.

Songfacts: Yeah, he's huge.

Raghav: We just wanted to find a different sound, you know? And that synth sound that goes through it said clubby, fun, and electronic. But at the same time, it was playful. So what I really wanted to do was write something playful and flirtatious. But it was all driven by that synth sound that you hear in the track, you know what I mean?

Songfacts: Yeah.

Raghav: So the process for that was pretty quick. "So Much" is something I wrote pretty quickly, but we had to nail that sound before I felt like I, as a writer, could tell a story over it. And it's interesting, because that's one of the few songs that's been sound based for me, where I get a real inspiration from a particular sound in the record that helps me bounce off that to write a whole piece.

Songfacts: How did you get Kardinal Offishal to appear on the track?

Raghav: Well, when you think of like fun, energetic, playful, but clever, I mean, that pretty much describes Kardi, right?

Songfacts: For sure.

Raghav: So it was a no brainer to me, because we had a relationship previously where he wrote on the Storyteller album. I had to come back to him for it and he very graciously accepted.

Songfacts: The song "Fire" has become a massive hit in Canada. Did you have any idea that it would be so big when you were writing it?

Raghav: There are so many outside factors. The song has very little sometimes with the ball starting to get rolling. But I will admit that when I wrote "Fire" and when I heard it, it felt like a big record. It felt like the kind of record that gives you that certain emotion, like "I Gotta Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas.

It's an uplifting piece that definitely has a great drop and the production is amazing. I just tried to keep it super, super, super simple throughout the record. And it just felt like it fit into a pocket.

Songfacts: Do you think there are other elements in that song that people identify with?

Raghav: You know, the bridge, "I've paid my dues, I've done my time." We live in such a difficult world to survive in. It's like people work their asses off to pay their mortgage and they work their asses off to make sure they can clothe their children. It's not easy right now. "Fire" is talking about energy, whether it's going out or whether it's just letting go. It's what allows you to feel quite literally on top. So I think it's a relatable record, for sure. And it's not just about partying. It's about: you've done all you can, you've worked as hard as you can, and now it's time to forget about that for a second.

Songfacts: On the topic of working your ass off and surviving: Is there something that you can pinpoint in your career as an artist as being the single biggest struggle towards success?

Raghav: Being independent. It's not like I have a record label supporting me or putting any major funds into the record. I paid for all these records on my own. I'd say making sure that I can make world class records on a budget that's very local. I want a record that competes with the best artists out there, but I can't financially compete with what they're spending to make the record. So doing that independently and saving up money gig to gig to make the kind of record I want to make has proven to be a challenge.

Songfacts: You once tweeted that you were on your way to the airport in Vancouver and you heard "Top of the World" playing on the radio. Is it weird to hear yourself playing on the radio?

Raghav: It used to be really weird. Obviously, I've had a career now in the business for a few years. It's not so much weird. But I will say it's very rewarding every time you hear it, that an idea that was once just a melody in your head or a beat on your computer is now a finished product that anyone who has a radio dial can listen to. It's a pretty awesome feeling.

Songfacts: What is that song about exactly?

Raghav: You know, "Top of the World" picks up where "Fire" left off. There's so much negativity around, I wanted to keep something that was very positive, that had a similar drop that made sure people could forget what was going on. It's almost deflective about what's going on in your real life and just feels like, whatever you're feeling in that moment or whatever, that record inspires you to feel is at least positive. So "Top of the World" is about trying to inject some positivity into your day.

Songfacts: In a recent interview with the Calgary Herald, you said the singles from The Phoenix are nothing like the rest of the record. Which songs on the record best represent you as an artist?

Raghav: There are three songs on that album I would encourage people who pigeonhole me by hearing "Fire" and "Top of the World" to listen to. There's a track called "You," that's a really different record. "You" on the album, I think, shows a more sophisticated songwriting capability for me. It's something I want to show off.

There's a track called "Need Someone," which I feel does the same, and puts me in more of an adult contemporary category. And there's a record called "Love," which was originally written for Michael Jackson, which is a song that hopefully people can say I delivered vocally in a very sophisticated way. I think those three put me in a different light than what people may think from just hearing the two singles.

Songfacts: Regarding "Love": Was there something in the works with Michael Jackson before he died? Or was it just an idea at that point? What happened there?

Raghav: No. Michael had heard the record and had told Jim (producer Jim Beanz) and Timbaland that he wanted to record it in August while he was touring in London. That was his record, man.

Songfacts: That must be a pretty incredible feeling knowing that one of your influences wanted to do a song that you worked on.

Raghav: Oh, huge. I mean, sometimes I feel my whole career is one big Michael Jackson impersonation. He just inspired us. I mean, he inspired every artist to a certain point. He was the be all and end all of being an entertainer.

The record was made for Michael and if Michael had been singing this record, it would be a #1 international smash. So hopefully people can appreciate that I've done a job on it that is worthy of the person who was about to get on the record in August of that year.

Songfacts: I wanted to ask you about your upcoming projects. Are you allowed to talk about what you're doing with A.R. Rahman right now?

Raghav: I'm allowed. I have a Bollywood movie coming out with him in October/November, which will be massive.

Songfacts: I read that it's a big, epic production in the Bollywood industry.

Raghav: Yeah. It's got like the biggest movie producers, the biggest actor, the biggest, obviously, music producer, as well. And we're working on a project, which unfortunately I can't talk about fully, but it's a Hollywood project. It's an international thing that he and I are collaborating on, which is very exciting, which will really, hopefully, as a songwriter, put me in a different realm, and as an artist, put me in a different realm than the one I'm in now.

Songfacts: And are there other collaborations and things in the works you've got going on?

Raghav: Obviously, I want to get back in the studio with Labrinth. I've wanted to since we did "Earthquake." I think "Earthquake" is going to be a major smash here in North America. We put Busta Rhymes on it here, and I think Labs and I are going to be in the studio again.

I'm going to get back in the studio with Jim. "Fire" will probably see the light of day for the first time in the States this summer. So there will be collaboration on it, but we haven't tied down the person who we're going to put on it yet. So fingers crossed it's someone who can really help us get the song out there to more people.

Labrinth is the stage name of English producer Timothy McKenzie. He signed to Simon Cowell's Syco label in 2011 and produced Raghav's song "So Much." He also scored a hit with "Earthquake," a single he released under his own moniker that featured rapper Tinie Tempah.
Songfacts: One of your older songs, "Angel Eyes," has both English and Hindi versions. Is that something that you're still interested in doing for future songs?

Raghav: I've kind of separated my Hindi music from my English a little bit, but I would always like to make sure that there is a fusion there. But it has to be clever. I don't want to ever do it in the same way that I've already done it because that's lazy. I feel like at this point in my career, I'm looking for a new facet, a new platform by which I can express my cross culture kind of musical fusion.

Songfacts: So is it odd to you that you're bigger in certain countries, like India and parts of Europe, and maybe not as big in the States quite yet?

Raghav: It's not odd. It makes sense because those countries have put up big budgets to promote the music. I mean, I make the record, but it's very hard to promote your own record, you know? And unfortunately that's a side of the business that I don't necessarily deal with on a day to day basis, because I want to stay and be creative and make sure that I'm giving people the best product to work with. I know people try their hardest, but I think that now when we have this record come out in the States, it'll be another opportunity to really get ourselves out there on a more commercial basis globally.

Songfacts: These days, the trend seems to be artists refusing to sign with labels even when they get offered deals. Is signing with a major label something you'd be interested in?

Raghav: It's one way of doing things. But at the end of the day, I think there are a million ways to skin a cat. For me, I want to concentrate on making the right records. Sometimes I tell artists this - and I was telling the kids this - if you have something that you really feel confident about, put it up online. Some things create such an online buzz that you can become huge.

At this point in my career, I'm a self sustainable business. I always tell artists that if you can get to that stage where you are self sustainable and you can own your creativity, and no one's telling you what kinds of records to make, that's pretty amazing. So there are pros and cons to both sides of it.

Songfacts: What's next for you? Are you going out on tour? You mentioned you were going into the studio pretty soon?

Raghav: Yeah. I'm going to be back in the studio next week and there are a lot of dates coming up in the summer. It looks like we're going to be everywhere from British Columbia all the way over to the Maritimes this summer, so it's going to be a busy one.

We spoke with Raghav on May 3rd, 2012. Get more at raghav.com
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