HYDERABAD: With the release of his new single Pani Patu on Friday across streaming platforms, US-based Indian musician Dhanesh is closer to his dream of redefining Telugu music.
His earlier single, ‘Thappipoyaane,’ has over five lakh views, and is steadily climbing the popularity charts.
Talking to Express, Dhanesh said: “Thappipoyaane is my first Telugu single. I have always wanted to make music that expands and elevates the Telugu music scene. I wrote and recorded the song two years ago. I kept working on other Telugu songs to figure out my sound. In February, I teamed up with Pavan Vasdev at Uncommon Club to help design a release plan around it.
With Thappipoyaane, I just wanted to introduce Dhanesh as an artiste to the world, especially to my Telugu fans. I feel like I have done that, and with this new single Pani Patu, I am ready to show my versatility.”
Dhanesh, who was born in Hyderabad, has been signed on by Believe, a digital distributor and services provider for independent artistes worldwide.
“It is an exciting time to be an Indie Telugu artiste. The barriers to create music are only getting less. I hope I am able to inspire more people to create and upload their own music, especially stuff that does not sound like typical Telugu film music. It is all about expanding and elevating the Telugu scene,” he says.
The 21-year-old singer discovered his interest in music at 13 when he used to borrow his dad’s iPhone to record himself, while playing instrumentals on his mother’s Mac.
“I used their car as my vocal booth to isolate everything. As my interest for singing grew and as I got older, I slowly started investing in equipment as well as knowledge on how to grow and succeed as an artiste. Throughout my eight years of creating music, I have learned a lot of skills such as video work, production, music business and marketing. After over 300 uploads of YouTube videos, I decided that I needed to figure out a plan. I decided to get into the Telugu music industry as I saw there is a need for Smooth R&B music. I am not formally trained in music,” adds the singer.
So who are his icons in the music industry? “I grew up taking inspiration from artistes like Drake, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Poo Bear, Frank Ocean, Partynext door, Kanye and many more. I love that smooth R&B sound that is big in Western pop, and with this project I wanted to carry that sound into the Telugu music space,” he adds. Through Pani Patu, Dhanesh wants to encourage listeners to dream on. “The song is an anthem for those who are tired of fighting the daily grind to build a better life for themselves,” he says.