Indie singer-songwriter Rahul Advani is gearing up to release his new EP, Elements. The musician’s previous song, ‘Fire Burning’, which explores the depths of relationships, had also struck a chord with the audience. Interestingly, the song is also part of the upcoming EP, which explores Rahul’s “fascination for mythological tales and the symbolism of nature.” In our chat, he delves deeper into the meaning of the EP and the various ideas it explores.
The indie artiste first reflects on the themes, “I’ve always been fascinated by the role of nature in helping us understand ourselves and the human experience in general. Each song on the EP reflects a different element — from the destruction and rebirth that fire symbolises, to the way water represents emotions and adaptability.” He explains this with an example. In the song, ‘Oh My’, human nature is melded with the contrasting imagery of rain. “That song was about learning to find power in one’s vulnerability — referring to the downpour of heavy emotions we tend to shield ourselves from, and the bravery in learning to stand in the rain, thereby facing those feelings,” he says.
The musician, who grew up in Singapore before shifting to India, has collaborated with a bunch of artistes on this project, including Tejas Menon, Vernon Noronha, Vinod Ramanarayanan, Rahul’s brother Rohan Advani and Mali.
Rahul says that he is particularly excited about a single from the album, ‘Goodbye My Friend’. Releasing on Internati-onal Friendship Day, Rahul tells us why this track is special.
“When I’m writing a song, I’m searching for ideas and refining them for months. But in this case, it was almost as if the song wrote itself. In less than an hour, the entire song was done. However, it was the most difficult one to record. It’s a ballad about the pain of walking away from a friendship while learning to appreciate it for what it is. I think it’s something many people would have experienced at one point or another in their lives,” he explains.
The singer, who is releasing this EP independently, also reflects on the importance of indie music. “I think there’s an appetite for all kinds of songs. I firmly believe that good music will always connect with the people it is meant to reach.”