Going solo: Guitarist Paraj Singh shares 'vocal' ambitions
Musician Paraj Singh has been a guitarist for over a decade, but always wanted to sing. “I started vocal lessons in 2017 and it quickly became evident that I was going to be a better singer than I ever was a guitar player,” he tells us.
After playing for bands such as Flaw and Order and Rainburn, the artiste now turns singer-songwriter with his debut EP, Inara. The artiste’s musical influences are deeply rooted in progressive rock. But as Singh, his solo project, the music is going to be ‘worlds apart,’ he says.
With Inara (Arabic for ‘heaven sent’), he explores the acoustic guitar. “I found that I was able to express myself far better with an acoustic. I think that the solo music will primarily be acoustic guitar-driven prog-alt rock with emotive tenor vocals essaying poetic lyrics against a backdrop of almost-cinematic production,” says the artiste.
Family matters
Singh lost his father when he was two, and was raised by the women in his family. “I was sensitised to women’s issues very early on and have since been outspoken in my support of the feminist movement.
The art on the album cover is based on the strong feminine presence in my life, which has been instrumental in shaping everything about me and has inspired many of the stories that I aim to bring to life through my music.” While you can still feel the distinct prog influence that Singh’s work is steeped in, there is also a very mellow side to the EP that is brought out through his writing.
Opening track, Dawn, is inspired by the first ray of sunlight that hits one’s face in the morning. This is followed by Continue, about how difficult 2020 has been for everyone. Adrift is an anthem of hope. “It is about drifting in a sea of uncertainty and talks about the existential crises. It also aims to give the listener hope that an uncertain path is still a path,” Singh explains.
Staying live
The Bengaluru-based musician admits that he is not the biggest fan of online gigs. “There’s this electric energy you get from performing live in front of people, that can’t be replicated by any number of streams or platforms,” he says. So, for the rest of the year, Singh will focus his energy on writing, recording and releasing music to hone his signature style. “I am going to work on becoming a better songwriter and musician so that when I am finally able to take my music live to the world, I’ll do justice to the record.