Hyderabad: A few years ago, seven people came together to form a band that composed a mélange of Indian folk music and a bit of rock. They named themselves Divine Raaga and grew popular among youngsters. Now, the same band is all set to release its debut album I’m Divine Raaga, which encompasses seven songs.
“We sing songs about love, rain, brotherhood, cross-border friendship and try to include current affairs in them,” informs Rahul Jha, the soft-spoken guitarist. The group also travelled to make sure they have that perfect sound.
“We wanted to include the sound of an esraj (a string instrument) in one of the songs. Simply for that, we went to Delhi because no one had even heard of the instrument in South India,” says Buddha, whose voice mixes mellifluously with the flute, bass, guitars, keyboard and drums.
But all of South India has been kind to them, they say, despite their Hindi lyrics. “When we go up on stage, it’s all about the fun. Music doesn’t have a language. It is seamless,” says Prithwin, the flautist, who has been learning to play the wind instrument for 10 years.
Having grown up in Bengaluru, which loves its rock music, it’s both a boon and a bane for them to be a folk band. “It’s hard for us to transcend the rock genre, but since we have a handful few bands playing our genre, it’s easy for us,” says Ashish, the bassist.
With time however, their music has evolved, as they now even add bits and pieces of metal in their music. “It’s like hardcore Hindustani metal,” laughs Rahul.
These four guys get together with Kishore, Mrinal, and Ashraf, the keyboardist, drummer and guitarist, almost everyday. “Every member is important. Every single note in our music is thought about time and again,” shares Rahul.
