Udd Gaye, Liggi, Sage, Jeet, and Barso have a way of slipping easily between a dance floor playlist and a laid-back listening session. Behind these tracks is Ritviz, Indian singer-songwriter, electronic musician, and record producer, whose sound brings together Indian classical influences and contemporary electronic beats with an unmistakably playful pulse. This weekend, he brings his music back to Hyderabad with Ritviz Live at Quake Arena on August 1 for a night of familiar favourites, infectious beats and plenty of dancing.
Excerpts
Tell us about your Hyderabad performance.
Hyderabad has always brought a crazy amount of energy, so I definitely want to match that. They sing every word, dance without holding back, and give you a lot of energy to feed off. Every time I’ve played here, I’ve walked off stage feeling like we all experienced something together rather than just performed a show. The set is going to be a mix of the songs everyone knows, some newer music I’ve been working on, and a few moments where I can just read the room and go wherever the crowd takes me.
Favourite memory from Hyderabad?
Honestly, Hyderabad has never disappointed me when it comes to food. Every visit somehow ends with someone insisting I try a place they’ve grown up eating at, and those recommendations are usually the best part of the trip. Apart from that, I just remember people being incredibly warm. There’s always someone who comes up after a show with a story about how a song found them at the right time, and those conversations stay with me.
Did you ever expect songs like Liggi, Udd Gaye, and Sage to become such crowd favourites?
Not at all. When I made those songs, I was just trying to make something that felt exciting to me. You never really know if something is going to become part of people’s lives. The biggest change isn’t really numbers or recognition; it’s that I get to keep making music for a living and travel to places I never imagined I’d play. That’s something I’m grateful for every single day.
Your music blends Indian classical influences with electronic sounds so effortlessly. How did you discover this style, and what keeps you experimenting with it?
It happened pretty naturally because that’s what I grew up around. There was Indian music playing at home, electronic music I was discovering online, Bollywood, hip-hop — everything was happening at the same time. I never felt the need to separate those influences. Experimentation is honestly the fun part. The moment I know exactly how a song is going to sound, I lose interest. I like surprising myself first.
What were some of the biggest struggles in your journey?
I think every artist struggles with comparison at some point. Early on, you spend a lot of time wondering if you’re making the ‘right’ kind of music or following the ‘right’ path. Eventually you realise the only thing that lasts is honesty. The more I stopped chasing expectations and started trusting my instincts, the more my music started sounding like me.
What do you enjoy most about performing live compared to creating music in the studio?
The studio is where ideas are born. The stage is where those ideas become real. You can spend months making a song in isolation, but the moment thousands of people sing it back to you, it becomes theirs as much as yours. That’s a feeling you can’t recreate anywhere else.
Where do you usually find inspiration?
Mostly from everyday life. Sometimes it’s a conversation, sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes it’s just a feeling I can’t explain yet. I don’t sit down thinking, ‘I’m going to write a hit today’. I usually start with an emotion or a sound that won’t leave my head and just follow it.
How do you see India’s independent music scene evolving?
I think we’re finally reaching a place where artists don’t feel like they have to fit into one definition of success. People are building communities instead of just audiences, and listeners are more open than ever to discovering new sounds. That’s exciting because it gives artists the confidence to be more honest and more experimental. I also think we’re going to see more Indian music travelling internationally, not by changing who we are, but by leaning into it.
Is there a dream collaboration or genre you’d like to explore?
There are definitely artists I’d love to work with, but I try not to over-plan collaborations. The best ones usually happen because the timing feels right rather than because they’re on a wishlist. Genre-wise, I don’t really think in boxes anymore. If something excites me, I’ll probably try it.
Future projects.
This year is probably one of the most exciting years I’ve had creatively. Teyi just came out — the latest single from my upcoming album Kurta Saree, and there’s a lot more music on the way. At the same time, we’re beginning the global rollout of Kurta Saree Dance Party, which is making its way back to India later this year. It’s the biggest project I’ve ever worked on, and I’m excited for people to finally start seeing the full picture.