Hi Arav! Let's get into a serious conversation. When did you start writing or producing music, and who or what were your early passions and influences?
I started writing my first songs in late 2019 and started producing and recording my own material around May 2020. I released my first few singles in September of 2020, followed by my first album in October. Following that, it's been a journey of trying to get better at my craft and to write better music with each release. My early passions and influences started with a lot of what my dad introduced me to when I was a child, with a lot of rock such as RHCP and some metal like Metallica and Ozzy, and when I discovered Linkin Park a few years later, that really made me fall in love with rock and metal and led to me discovering more and more bands and falling more in love with the genre.
What do you consider to be the most significant moments in your artistic work or career?
Signing with Sliptrick Records for this record was a huge moment for me, and definitely something that tops this list. Releasing my single To Take The Fall and seeing it get newspaper coverage and coverage from write ups such as Rolling Stone India and Rockstreet Journal was also a really big moment and one that really gave me a lot of confidence about my music and motivated me to keep going. The upcoming album has already been a pretty significant moment in my life and career, and I'm sure it will only get better from here!
What are your main compositional and production challenges currently?
To not sound like anyone else. I want to write music that's original, and obviously it's more than okay to borrow a few ideas from different places, but overall, I want my sound to be original and expressive of who I am as a person and artist. Production wise I'm still learning, and trying to be able to recreate the sounds I hear in my head is a fun challenge.
What do you usually begin with when starting a new piece?
It depends, sometimes it starts with a guitar riff or melody idea, other times it's usually based on a drum groove that sort of drives the process. Based on how that sounds, I usually develop that idea further.
How strictly do you differentiate between improvisation and composition?
They are very similar, all of my ideas come from me improvising and trying to find new melodic and musical ideas, and then in the compositional process I structure it more and give it more form. So there is a difference, but not a big one.
How do you view the relationship between sound, space, and composition?
I feel that there is a very large correlation, as sound and space can impact the artist and his/her thinking and compositions in a way that reflects the sound and space the artist was exposed to. In my case, hearing a lot of rock music in my early years and having the space to be able to listen to the music I want helped develop me into composing music in that style with that kind of influence.
Do you think it's important for the audience to be able to discern the processes and ideas behind a work purely through the music? If so, how do you make them transparent?
I think that depends on the artist. Some artists want their vision to be seen and understood by the audience, while others prefer to leave the audience to interpret their own message. I see both sides and have gone with both approaches over my discography. For this album, I want the vision to be seen by the audience, and I've tried to make that happen through the lyricism and storytelling of the album and how it is structured, and me and my producer have tried to bring that out in the production style and choices as well.
To what extent do you feel that creative decisions are influenced by cultural differences, and vice versa, how is the perception of sound shaped by cultural differences?
I feel that cultural differences are a huge influence on creative decisions, as they influence the artists as people in a deep way, and that translates through to their art, this is a big part of the reason why different regions have such different sounding regional music.
The relationship between music and other art forms such as painting, video art, and cinema has become increasingly significant. How do you view this relationship, and to what extent does music relate to other senses beyond hearing alone?
This relationship is a very important and beautiful one, and it ties into our other senses as listeners, which allows people to experience a song/record on a more visceral level, one that feels more real to them because it appeals to more senses. I think the impact music can have on listeners can be enhanced if attached to a medium that represents the emotion behind the song/record such as a video or a piece of art.
There seem to be two fundamental tendencies in music today: the complete virtualization of tracks and albums released as digital files, and the even closer integration of music, artwork, packaging, and physical presentation. Where do you stand between these two poles?
I think that both schools of thought have their strengths and weaknesses, but honestly I have always wanted to do both. Digital releases for everyone to be able to stream and listen worldwide, and physical records for people who want to support the artists more and be able to experience the music in a more intense manner. That way, both audiences are satisfied and happy.
What changes would you like to see in the music industry to enable you to make a living from your music?
I would like to see streaming services compensate artists more fairly for their efforts. I think streaming services really underpay artists as of today and that is something that I think needs to change in order for artists like me to be able to earn a sustainable living from our music, especially considering how the future is headed.
The role of an artist is always subject to change. What is your perspective on the (e.g., political, social, creative) tasks of artists today, and how do you try to meet these goals in your work?
Honestly, I think the only true role for an artist is to be themselves, 100% throughout, and express that in the way they write their music. Everything else is secondary and subject to what the artist believes, but I think the focus has to be on honest artistic expression for them to be able to create the best and most original music that they can, and to keep trying to improve and be better.
Music-sharing sites and blogs, as well as the abundance of releases in general, pose challenging questions for both listeners and artists. What is your view on the value of music today, and how does the abundance of music change our perception of it?
I still believe that music is an extremely valuable commodity/asset, but the sheer abundance of music makes that hard to realize for the general public at times. I still feel excited for new releases from my favourite artists even now, as do millions of other people, so I think it's not that big a problem as people still understand the value of music and are willing to pay for more.
How do you think non-mainstream forms of music could reach wider audiences?
I think for this to happen, they have to be part of some large cultural revolution and be the soundtrack for that period of change, as that is how people are made aware about new forms of music, and as it is made 'cool' by the cultural change, it starts to become more and more popular. While Metallica has been the biggest metal band on the planet for a long time now, an example of this is with Master of Puppets and Stranger Things, which resulted in a lot of non metal fans being turned onto Metallica.
It is generally considered that it is the artist's job to win over an audience. However, listening is also an active rather than a passive process. How do you view the role of the listener in the musical communication process?
I feel that listeners should be open minded to new sounds and ideas, and make an effort to try and understand and resonate with what an artist is trying to communicate. Furthermore, if they really enjoy an artist's music, I think that they should let that artist know and try to support them, as that really does go a long way in letting the artist know that they've done something right.
Reaching audiences usually involves reaching out to the press and possibly working with a PR company. What is your perspective on the promo system, and in what ways do music journalism and PR companies change the public's perception of music?
I mean, the PR system clearly works, so I have no problem with it at all. Music after all is a product, and I feel that PR is a way of helping promote that product to interested listeners, which is a vital part of the music business. I think PR, in the form of interviews like this one, can really help bring an artist's views and thoughts to a wider audience, which, if people resonate with it, can result in more exposure and fans for an artist and also help the audience understand the vision and thought process behind a song/record which may attach more meaning and significance to it.
Can you recommend two artists to our readers that you think deserve their attention?
I absolutely can! One would be Bloodywood, which is a folk metal band from India, whom I've seen live a few times and even managed to meet once. They make an awesome blend of Indian folk music and metal , and their music is super original , fun and refreshing. The second band would be Be'lakor, which is an Australian melodeath outfit , fantastic melodic death metal music , one of my all time favourite bands , definitely worth a listen!
Thank you so much, cheers!