Raghav Mathur's back with a love raga

Raghav Mathur

The '90s kids, it seems, are being treated to a #throwback week-after-week. Jay Sean performed in the city recently, and then, Bryan Adams came along and made everyone sing to each of his songs. And now, Raghav Mathur is back. You have to remember him! He sang the much-acclaimed Angel Eyes - from his best-selling album, Storyteller - in 2004. Then, there were the dance numbers, Can't Get Enough and Let's Work It Out. Now, he is back with a new song, Maayera, which released last week as a Saavn Original.

When we meet him, he starts singing a stripped down version of Angel Eyes, and we are transported back to the time when we were in school. "I have been overwhelmed by the fact that people still remember me, and my songs. I have been doing things back home in Canada, but, unfortunately, not here. It's time to change that." The Calgary-based singer, who wrote Maayera (about being in love), says that he decided to make a slow, romantic number, only because he wanted to stand out.

"Back then, when Angel Eyes released, there weren't many people doing the same. But now, the dance, hip hop [genre] is quite the norm. I just wanted to enter the fray, and make a mark once again by proving that I could do different things," says the singer, who counts Michael Jackson and OP Nayyar among his childhood influences.

The song is about a break-up that feels wrong and unnecessary, and love and heartbreak are inspiration for several of his numbers. "I have just realised that we have to let go of the small stuff and focus on what is right in our lives. I think, in the world that we live in, that's super important." He's also candid enough to admit that he is not very good with relationships, and that has led to him writing so many songs.

When we remind him that heartbreak always paves the way for good art, he laughs, "Yeah, so true! I have a daughter now too, and I am in a good space though. I'm just trying to make more music." Ask him about his future plans and he promises he will be back in a month or two and play gigs, where we can all dance to the songs we haven't stopped loving. Is there a new dance track in the offing? "Of course, wait for it."

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