Gaurav Raina of Midival Punditz is set for his solo debut and he returns to the city where it all started
Gaurav Raina. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: After spending his formative years in Hyderabad and starting his journey into music here, Gaurav Raina, who has risen to popularity as one half of the Midival Punditz, is returning to Hyderabad to mark the launch of his solo career on September 19.
“I think it is a very welcome and exciting coincidence for me. It’s been a while since I played in Hyderabad and I want to showcase a lot of new stuff. My mom was definitely very excited to hear the news,” says Gaurav, who is touring the country with his solo album, Grey to Silver.
A feeling to explore a more darker and melancholic side to his artistic side drove Gaurav into going solo. “I believe that everyone has a darker and deeper side to them which we disguise. Same is the case with me. I wanted to always explore that depth and darkness within me, and find the beauty in that. To find the greyness amongst the silvery shine,” he says.
“This album is a musical narration of my emotions and thoughts, combined with my various influences over the years,” adds Gaurav.
Having collaborated with several musicians including the likes of Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale for the album, Gaurav “made a conscious decision to adopt a no-holds-barred approach”.
“All the collaborators on the album are old friends of mine and I’ve worked with them on various projects in the past. Hence there was a huge level of comfort in the fact that they would help me and not judge,” he shares.
Gaurav fondly remembers how Hyderabad was where his “love story with music” started. “I did my higher secondary (11th and 12th grade) in Hyderabad followed by first year of college at Wesley College.
Those were the years when I started learning to DJ. I collected tapes at that time so I could play at parties and basically understand the mechanics of playing music to an audience,” he recalls.
“I love Hyderabad because it has an easy pace and allowed for a scene to germinate. In fact, I played my first party in a small club in Banjara Hills about two decades ago. Yes, I started pretty early. After that, I went to Mumbai for training and came back to my first job as a DJ alongside DJ Zam, in a night club in Country Club. These were amongst the career defining years of my life and the start of my love story with my music,” he says.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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