Raman Negi, the former lead singer and guitarist of rock band The Local Train, announced in 2022 that he has left the band, shocking indie music enthusiasts. Raman Negi’s debut album, profile, recently dropped more than a year and a half after his split from the band. Raman can say with certainty that being free is never easy. The singer-songwriter has been on a quest to find his own music since parting ways with a popular band he formed ten years ago. And be more successful as a musician?
While there isn’t much to doubt to begin with, Nagy has really shown off her prowess as a solo artist with this debut album. on full display profile He has immense skill to write, produce and masterfully craft an album. The strongest aspect of Negi’s debut album, profile, it can be written. He certainly has spent time honing his songs. Some of the guitar melodies on Nagy’s album stick with the listener long after the album is over, which shows the artist’s maturity.
Negi talked to us about profile The journey as it is currently going on. He discusses his musical journey since becoming independent, his rise as a solo artist, the wonderful collaboration with Gaurav Chintamani, what 2023 will hold for him, and most importantly, profile,
Excerpts from the interview:
- Let me start by congratulating you on your personality. The entire album is a shining example of your talent composing, producing and excellent timing of an album. Would you like to discuss the background behind the songs?
First of all thank you very much. album profile There are songs that will really showcase my personality as an artiste. And the source of inspiration has been completely in the songs in the last year or two – what I’ve been doing and what I’ve seen, how I see the world now, music and personal experience that I’ve gone through and for me as an artist What was the idea of having Everything That Has Changed is kind of a reflection on this album and everything is about my personal experiences, where I’ve come as a person, in the world and at the best of my art. That has been the inspiration.
- Which phase of Shakshiyat’s production album did you like the most? Would you like to discuss the difficulties faced and the lessons learned?
I think the most exciting part of recording this album and the production was the time when you have a demo and you go into the studio, play the song to people and then it goes live. So you can see exactly what you were thinking.
I think the difficult part was how to keep these ten songs that are guitar driven and how to be innovative in each song and not repeat yourself. Plus how to craft these songs at the production stage, at the recording stage and turn them into a complete piece of music, every song. And I think that was the difficult part of the process, but at the same time I think it was the most rewarding, because you do that and you learn a lot of tips and tricks about production and yourself – your abilities and skills. And I think the most exciting phase was when I was actually in the studio recording. I love going to studio records.
- Does it come naturally to you or do you have to make an extra effort to connect with your listeners through your songs? What is Raman Negi’s favorite song in the entire record That’s Really About You?
I really make an extra effort to explore different themes for the songs. Like a political satire like Mastani where a boy is trying to flirt with a girl, gets rejected and so on. I’m just happy to do what I think is lyrically right or that relates to people and I think it just happens. And that’s exactly the beauty of doing it.
Well, my favorite at the moment would have to be a day one. It was one of the last songs, the theme, the lyrical idea and all that. It’s about how you basically meet people and you discuss politics and how to change the world.
But when you meet normal people like cab drivers or people who go out and earn their living, when you ask them about world politics and they say yes, I want too, we also Could and we always have done that – but they have families to feed and stuff so it made sense when the song went:
blow in all directions
Takht-o-Taz world
be in my books
Hashiya-e-Naam
That basically, I too want to have the luxury of talking about changing the world and my name as a footnote in at least one history book. But I don’t have time because I have to go home – like”Now the night is about to happen, I am waiting for the path of love, my world is in their locks, saying that I have a family to feed, this is my life. and then he says to console himself “Even if you get the world, how will you understand your feelings”.
So I guess that’s my favorite line. Because you don’t get to win every time. And I think it was the most realistic scenario of a song which also reflects my life.
- How has working with music composer Gaurav Chintamani changed your life? What has been your biggest takeaway so far?
OK, I can go on about that man. Meeting him has really shaped my life. I’ll go ahead and say that it really changed how I look at recording albums and what my idea was and then I met him and he asked me why I was doing this and why would I take this step and do this . I explained to him how I would just think of the dots on my own and have my own musicality to appear on the album and other things like that. Working with him has really changed my thought process. Like that guy, he’s a producer, he’s a producer and he engineered the whole album and recorded it.
So through that I really got to do what I really wanted to do which was to record all these songs but in the most real way. Everything should be live and not fixed to keep stuff like that. So he also comes from that school of thought in the sense that he is also old school, as am I. So doing this was like a great match for both of us.
I believe it has really become a hit because I have become a better guitar player. Because he’d play me things, he’d challenge me to do stuff on the mic, record guitar, and convince me that sometimes imperfections are to be cherished. So I guess there are many. I think my sound is really genuine because we haven’t tried to over-produce it or make it perfect every time and every song we just felt right in that moment. And I think in the long run it’s going to really work for the album in my opinion, because of all the musicians I listen to work.
I have become a better musician. I think I’ve grown to love the studio more and by that I mean all musicians should spend more time in the studio and fail and try again. It really solidified a new side of me because I’ve never really thought of myself as a good studio recording artist. Now I am more confident comparing how I used to hate it before but now I love it.
5. How has life and music changed since you became independent? How do you feel about all the similarities between The Local Train and your freelance work?
Well, my life post the pandemic has been very rewarding in the sense that I released ten songs in a span of six months. I made six official videos for the album. I think the biggest thing was how, I went with my own pace, my way of doing things and that’s what I wanted – to do things on my own. And of course, to grow at your own pace.
I think my writing has evolved as a rewriter and so has my guitar. I think it’s amazing that people compare ten years’ work with five or six months’ work. It’s amazing. I take it as a compliment. I also believe that my music has evolved into a great piece of music.
I don’t think we have songs like Mastani and Shagird Blues. I haven’t heard things that sound like funk playing and a little bit of blues in it. I think it’s a parallel. Maybe I agree, because that’s exactly what I was going to do. How I feel about it – I’m happy as long as people are talking about me.
6. What are the upcoming projects outside the already successful Shaktiyat that we can look forward to in 2023?
Thank you for the success rating. Outside of that, I want to go back to the studio to record more. After this album, I wrote more songs and to be honest it was supposed to be like a double album, but then, my friend told me to relax and do ten songs first and then see about it. I think I’m going to do another record. I already have a dozen songs, ideas that I love and I really want to play around the country for a while, for a few months and then get back in the studio because that’s what I love to do and just I keep writing music, that’s the idea. I really hope that I get to record new music this year and that has been my top priority.
7. You will be performing for a group of anti-social, young individuals in Mumbai, or what we commonly refer to as Gen Z. What are your hopes and expectations?
Well, I am playing for an anti-social and young audience and I am very excited about it. I just want to go and give them a good show whoever comes to the gate.
I think it’s going to be a great show, a full rock ‘n’ roll show that I rehearsed with my band. It’s a four-piece act and it’s the first time I’m going to play my music as a four-piece act. Basically it’s guitars, guitars and more guitars and I just want people to come down so they can see what I’ve been saying about my music for the past year. I really hope they see where I am going and what I think about Hindi music and how I want to represent it. I will show them different things that they may not know about. Those are my expectations.
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