There’s nothing we love more than a someone who does things their way, and Dharmendra Narayan Shrivastav is in that department. The Bihar native holds audiences rapt with his guitar and soulful voice and is a pleasure to listen to.  

The singer - song writer who is capturing audience attention with his distinct powerful voice and style of singing, shares his story on the various transitions he has undergone in life in this Q&A format with Susan Coelho.

What attracted you to music? 

From a tender age I was influenced by famous Indian playback singers namely Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. During my childhood, I admired artists like Girija Devi, Vageshwari Devi and Shyamta Prasad Mishra. The performances of these maestros left me with cherishable memories. The above are the ones who have inspired me to be a musician. 

What is your professional musical education?

I studied Hindustani Classical singing from reputed vocalist R.U Raut from 2001-2008. I also developed an interest in other genres of music like Bollywood, soft music. I consider myself as a self taught musician in English Pop, Reggae and Desi Hip-Hop for which I have also given a personal contribution recently.  During the nineties, I invested my time in learning basics of spanish guitar.  Later I explored upto Grade 3 of Trinity School of Music (London) all by myself. Learning guitar introduced me to western theory  and I picked up scales, chords.

For how long have you been into music? 

I am full time musician since 2010 but used to spend  major part of my daily routine with music listening and following other singers.

Describe your early days.

I come from a family with no musical background. Initially it was hectic for me to work at a job and then shell out time and money on music lessons. I remember I bought my first harmonium in 2001 after borrowing money from a friend to whom I later returned the money. I was astonished to see parents carrying their children to music institutes. Family background in the field of music makes a huge difference, cause children with musician parents are exposed to music at an early stage in life and they turn out to be prodigies. 

How has your training helped you?

I think basic knowledge of music is required for singing properly whether it is on a studio or a stage.  For executing your passion in a particular field of arts, it is essential to learn the fundamentals. In the same way musical training is essential for a strong foundation.

You have released a few albums in the past. Can you tell us something about them?

I have recorded several albums in different genres. The first was ‘The dawn of my life’ an English album which I released in 2006. This was followed by two Hindi albums ‘Tere Nain’ in 2007 and ‘Few moments’, and then a remix album ‘Baaten yaaden, mere sapno ko’ and in 2010 once again I released ‘What I say’ an English language album. There’s also ‘Anjaani Raahen hain’ (Hindi 2011), ‘O jaane Jaan’ (Hindi 2012), ‘Bachhe Sachhe’ (Hindi 2015 for kids) and ‘Jannat ka atar’ (Hindi 2018).

How do you plan to grow in this profession?- 

Practicing regularly with progressive attitude acts as a good source of growth in this field.

What are your forthcoming projects?  

There is an online performance happening for v4u a Canadian company. I will also be recording a song for 2 Hindi movies post pandemic. I’m looking forward to record ten to fifteen English songs as well as Hindi songs in fusion, contemporary and Bollywood genres. I also released my fourth single, The words in July this year. Prior to this, I also released in April this year English pop When I Met. I also did a song Bhul Ja Dil Mere (folk fusion written by Manoj Kumar  Haryanvi and composed by Chhatrasal), Alvida  (Blue styled Bollywood melody, written by Shashank Shekhar and composed by Chhatrasal). Other than this, there are a few movies for digital platform that I recently recorded  few songs for. There’s also a full length Hindi movie (name not decided) which are to be completed post pandemic.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to do more creative works in both Bollywood and independent styled music.

Interviewed by Susan Coelho