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'Pop music is dead in India'
The name Raghav may not ring any bells, but chances are you may have grooved to his popular track Angel eyes at a party or a pub.
His fans however love him. One even gushed that "he's brought a new flavour, a new vibe and he's dead sexy."
Born to Indian parents and brought up in Canada, Raghav Mathur imbibed the best qualities from different cultures. This is probably why his songs have topped the charts in Canada, UK and India. Being the product of two cultures, the amalgamation of these can be heard and felt in his songs.
Ufaque Paiker finds out more.
You started your career pretty early. Didn't you get tired of it after some time?
No, music has always been my passion. I never thought of it as a burden. When you love what you do, it comes easy to you.
In this competitive world it's has become almost impossible to distinguish passion from pressure? Your take?
As I have said, you should enjoy and love what you do. Pressure is there in every field -- you have your share of highs and lows. Music is no different.
Your songs have a personal touch...
Yes, they do. Music is about how you feel. You have to represent your history, your musical journey in the songs.
Did the fact that you grew up in Canada and India influence your music?
You can take and use a lot of things which you have learnt from different places. You live the experience and that is what makes every musician unique.
How does it feel to see your albums topping the charts in UK, Canada and India?
It's overwhelming but I also know that I need to keep raising the bar, otherwise it will all fade away.
What do you think of reality shows? Do they help provide a platform to budding singers?
It's the least realistic thing on television. It's business.
What do you think about the future of pop music in India?
It's a dead culture in India. Music is Bollywood centric and unless it comes through Bollywood, it can't be popular. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I love Bollywood. But I do wish the media would give a chance to young pop musicians as well.
Can we expect a good looking pop singer like yourself in a Bollywood flick?
I would like to compose my own songs in a Bollywood movie. I haven't thought about acting, but it sounds