Globally, acceptance is coming into play for artistes: Ritviz

Ritviz’s Pune home is filled with musical instruments, lively artwork, and colourful furnishings - an apt blend of modern and traditional, much like what can be found in his compositions as well. Sitting in the comfort of his abode, the Udd Gaye hitmaker talks about his quest to find unconditional love, south Asian representation on a global stage and creating his unique identity.Excerpts:
‘My songs are an expression of what is going on in my life’
With his latest album, the Sage singer tried to draw a parallel between his childhood persona and adult life. He points out that the album is basically a quest to find the unconditional love that he received as a child in his adult life. “Everything else around me is conditional, be it friendships or romantic relationships. However, towards the end of the album, I had this realisation of sorts that it is a conflict in my head because I am in a way conditionally expecting unconditional love. This realisation has put things in perspective for me that I shouldn’t expect, and just give my 100 per cent. If I am doing that, the result shouldn’t matter,” he explains. Driving inspiration from the regular things happening around him has also contributed to making his music relatable. Ritviz says, “I might be having a conversation with my mom and that could turn into a song tomorrow. But the output is just an expression and reflection of what is going on in my life.”
‘Even if I am not singing, you’d be able to tell that this is a Ritviz song’
Being trained in Indian classical music at a very young age, Ritviz has successfully made a mark for creating a musical marriage between classical and electronic music. However, he calls it an unconscious effort. It is not just the music, but the unique pronunciation of Hindi words has also been a standout point, something his fans have also tried to replicate in their cover versions. “Certain words phonetically sound epic to me, so I emphasize those. I create a new language out of the language we usually listen to. The audience is looking at the world from my lens and even if I am not singing, you’d be able to tell that this is a Ritviz song. The entirety of writing, pronunciation and the production may be the contributing factor to it,” he shares.
Even his music videos, however quirky, narrate various tales of newfound love, female friendships or the unconditional love of a mother. Ritviz is quick to give the credit to his team for bringing out a different side to each song. “While the emotion remains the same, the people involved in making the video give it a unique visual identity. For example, Udd Gaye could have been a basic love story about a boy who meets a girl, but just the fact that we think outside the box is what makes it stand out. To portray the same emotion with a different presentation is an experience in itself,” he shares.
‘We are opening doors for many upcoming artists’
In an exceptional feat, the multi-talented musician has also had a breakthrough in the Marvel universe, with three of his songs featuring in the series Ms Marvel. With the rise in south Asian representation across the globe, Ritviz feels that the internet has a huge role to play in breaking barriers. “We are opening doors for so many upcoming artists. In the current day and age of the internet, an indie artist can put out music and get recognised on the global stage by production houses. Having to do this 50 years ago would have been a very different conversation just purely based on the technicality, but today, even globally, acceptance is coming into play,” says the Pune boy, who calls MG Road his go-to place to grab a bite when he can. About the city’s music scene, the singer-composer adds, “The Pune music scene is really thriving. There are so many acts like Katoptris and Darwin that I am a huge fan of.”
In the past, we were just conditioned to listen to what was playing on the radio but now, people look for new artistes. The next five years are going to be great for indie artistes.