Back to the roots

Indian-born, Singapore–based singer-songwriter Druv Kent is the first Asia-based musician to have his music backed for two decades by the UK’s BBC Radio. After receiving much acclaim in the UK, Singapore, Australia and India with several singles such as What it’s All About, I’m Still Riding, and Little Bit of God, Druv’s latest Back Home will release on November 16.

With his organic, earthy and lyrically rich song, the financer-turned-musician seeks meaning in a shifting world with its folk-pop sounds blended with the musical fuel of his Indian heritage. Talking about the song and the inspiration, Druv says, the nostalgic feeling of missing his home back in Kolkata, led him to write the lyrics, “I wanted to go back to the time of innocence, where I can shed the external layers I wear,” he adds.

The track showcases the singer’s distinctive vocal style and his ability to create memorable melodic hooks within an intimate scape that carves out a unique space in the current musical landscape. Featured with a video shot in Kolkata, the song showcases a journey of three characters taking a ride ‘home’ in the city. “Each of them are de-layering over their journey to reveal their true selves on their way back home,” explains the singer. When asked if the video was essential for the song, he blames people’s reduced attention span for the move and says, “It’s important to keep the audience attentive and give them a visual treat.” Adding that each of his song has a story to tell and for that he needs visual help to convey his thoughts. “It helped me to capture my story and communicate with my audience,” smiles the singer.  

Talking about his journey so far, the former financer reminisces the time he spent at The Doon School in Dehradun, where he learnt his first music lessons and considers himself a blessed student to be chosen as in charge of the music team when Indian classical music maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar was invited for an event. As a child, Druv witnessed the musician composing a song in a short span of time. “I was chosen to lead the song, and that’s when I realised that I loved music and want to become a musician,” recalls the musician.

Just like any other youngster, Druv decided to take a break from music and study further which resulted into getting a finance degree from the US. However, his quest for music never died and he wrote his first song Little Bit of God in 2015 followed by What It's All About in 2017, which was loved by the Indian jazz musician Louis Banks. “He wanted the song to be composed by the UK artists,” says Dhruv, adding that American singer John Mayer too was blown away with his lyrics, “and that’s how I got my endorsement.”