Music did not happen to Rishaad Chaudhry by chance. From being a part of a choir group at his school hostel in Lucknow to assimilating its finer nuances at his Gurgaon school, music has been integral to 18-year-old’s life. With his vast range of musical interests, Rishaad doesn’t believe in restricting himself to a particular genre. His love for Hip Hop led him to discover his musical inspirations in Juice wrld, The Kid LAROI and XXXTentacion. When it comes to Indian music artistes, Prateek Kuhad, Anuv Jain are his major influences. While feeling blues, he also seeks refuge in Indian folk music and Pakistan Coke Studio.
His recently released single ‘I’m Sorry?’, talks about not hurting those who have hurt you. It’s better to say sorry even for the good things you did and move on as we should not let our actions be defined by their actions, says the budding musician. Apart from ‘I am Sorry’, Rishaab has released two other singles-Give You all and Not Alright. While the former makes an impassioned ‘call for positivity’ following an exhausting 2020, his second album ‘Not Alright’ asks people to drop the pretence and express their true emotion.
Here are the excerpts from an interview with the budding musician
Q: What made you want to become a musician?
A: I have always been inclined towards music but was unsure about the direction to proceed in terms of creativity. During last year’s lockdown, we all had a lot of free time. Stuck in my room, I was really done with the technology. The only thing I looked up to was my Guitar. So, I tried to make music and I had no clue what I was going to achieve but I started to focus on it for the entire year.
Q: Please tell us about your musical inspirations. Musicians or people who have influenced your music.
A: There are a lot of people and I am a person who is not restricted to a particular genre. I follow Indian folk music, R&D pop. I have a special love hip hop as well because it’s something which resonates with the current generation too. I draw inspiration from artistes like Juice wrld, The Kid LAROI, MASN, among others. When it comes to Indian music, I follow Prateek Kuhad, Anuv Jain, all these artistes have influenced me.
Q: Musicians often have a bend towards certain kind of music. It could be blues, it could be euphoric, it could be sublime. So, what kind of music attracts you?
A: Though I follow a lot of genres, I am more attracted to songs with sad vibes. So, most of my recently released songs are inclined in that direction only.
Q: There are different ways to approach your music. In one sense, your music presents your story, it’s a script. Can we sense a story through your music?
A: For me, my music is a bit spontaneous. At the same time, I must say whenever I write something it always has a meaning to it. Music is not something I take for granted. While composing one, I always make sure it is done in the best possible manner.
Q: Have you been mentored or trained by other musicians?
A: I was in the choir of my school hostel in Lucknow. When I returned to Delhi for high school education, I joined a music school. So my connect with music was never gone it was always there. It started as an activity but gradually my passion for music has changed.
Q: Let’s discuss your compositions-Give you all, Not Alright and I am Sorry. What’s the story behind it. What you intend to achieve with your latest musical expression.
A: It was all very sudden. I never thought about releasing my music. Last year, I came up with a few beats and approached a few producers for helping me out. So, I contacted the producer of one of my favourite artistes Mishaal. I was not expecting a reply but surprisingly, he replied. That’s how we came up with this music. My friends always jaded me to release my compositions but I was always hesitant. So, ‘Give You all’ was one song, I thought, If released at the end of the year, it will give a call to positivity amid Covid pandemic. And thankfully, people loved that song and listened to it at parties as well.
‘Not Alright’ is for people who keep pretending to be fine every single day but are really fighting battles which the world has no clue about. It is ok to be not ok. I mean you can tell other people you are not alright and there is nothing wrong in saying that because people need support.
‘I am sorry’ is very close to my heart, it talks about my story. Even if someone has wronged you, it does not necessarily mean that your actions should be defined by their actions. The artiste says “I am sorry’ for all the things that he has done even if it’s the other person who has messed up his life. It was created in a spontaneous manner and everything in the piece have come from my heart.
Q: What is it that you enjoy most about being a musician?
A: Music is a great way to express yourself. There is nothing that could stop you, you can speak volumes through your music. I would rather say, it’s not just music but any form of art help you express yourself.
Q: One thing that needs to be changed about the music industry. What would it be?
A: Around the world, more importance is given to artistes who are already popular but there is nothing for indie artists, they really have to struggle and make their way through. Sometimes it’s not just about talent, it’s about resources as well. That should not be the case, talent should always be given top priority. So, it’s very disheartening to see someone talented not getting his due for lack of resources and contacts.
Q: There are two schools of thought about music creation? One says, you have to learn and understand basics before creating one while the other says, music comes from within and creation could be spontaneous as well. What’s your view on this?
A: It’s not that I was suddenly introduced to music. When I started out, I was not good at it. When I created my first song and shared it with my friends, they were encouraging but I realised that it needed improvement, so I started working on it. And when I hear it now I realise what was I even sending to them. So, you need to keep learning it’s more about consistency. Every experience while creating the music makes you better in music. Music does come from within but you need to practise.
