Druv Kent On Involving His Mom For New Single Beyond It All: She's My Music Inspiration. My Sons...- EXCLUSIVE

Druv Kent interview: At Filmibeat, we love interacting with talented artists who are passionate about their craft. As we interacted with Indian-born, Singapore and UK-based singer-songwriter Druv Kent, he got candid about his new single Beyond It All.

In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Chief Copy Editor Abhishek Ranjit, Druv Kent got candid about his new single, revealing why he involved his mother directly in the project. He also shared how his two sons crooned backup vocals for his song Hope.

Here are excerpts from the interview-

1 - Your new single "Beyond It All (Sayi)" explores themes of loss and resilience. What personal experiences shaped this song?

I began writing this song triggered by a loss in the family. Being part of a close-knit Punjabi family, kirtans are where the community gathers and uses music as a balm. That inspired me to create this track, with an attempt to focus on the spirit that endures, despite the sorrows we all must encounter.

2 - The track blends Western melodies with Punjabi folk elements. What inspired you to bring these two worlds together in such a seamless way?

The world of 1970s Western pop songwriting, like that of James Taylor and John Lennon, and the Sufi world of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, are my two favorite worlds of music. As I began composing this song, I felt drawn in both these directions, but also felt they should really combine into the same song. My main challenge was in trying to retain the character of these different musical styles, but have it really feel like it's one song.

3- The idea of a "light beyond absence" is very poetic. How did that concept evolve during your songwriting process?

I do find that all my songs focus on the positive, even those that have a darker, more sober underbelly. To me, music is healing. Even though there is a solemnity to what the song is about - enduring pain and sorrow - it is more really focused on the light at the end of the tunnel that pulls us through. The light that is really beyond it all.

4- Your mother, Bina Shrikent, re-wrote a Punjabi folk piece for this song. What was it like involving family so directly in your music?

All my music begins from a very personal space. My two young sons have sung backup vocals on my song "Hope", which was so gratifying, particularly because the song is about inspiring hope in the younger generation. For this song, when I was working on the Punjabi lyrics, who better than my mother, my musical inspiration, an amazing singer herself, someone who imbibes my musical persona so well, and is way more fluent in Punjabi than I am.

5 - The song features multiple Indian vocalists. How did you approach blending so many voices into one cohesive sound?

I wanted additional voices to sing the choral parts. My good friend Atul Churamani connected me with Siddhant Bhatia, himself now a Grammy nominee. Siddhanth loved the songs I was recording and has sung himself on this song as well as with others I recorded at his Soultrax studios in Delhi. I mixed the song in Singapore at my studio, which was really fun with all these voices doing their magic. In fact, there is also a slightly longer Desi Mix version of the track worth checking out, which allows for more Hindustani alaaps and a more trancey feel.