A lot has changed for Raghav Meattle ever since he became a semi-finalist on The Stage 2 (Indian English music show) and shifted to Mumbai, this year, to pursue music full time. His debut album, Songs From A Matchbox, solidifies his status as a popular and fresh voice in the country’s music circuit.
The eight-song album is inspired by his days in Mumbai, trying to follow his passion and make good music. Like his previous tracks, Raghav has paid a lot of attention to vocals and melody in Songs From A Matchbox. The tracks Bar Talk and She Can are definitely a one-man show by Raghav with his crisp guitar notes and captivating vocals. The former is about his initial days as a musician, playing solo gigs in the clubs of Mumbai, while She Can is a soft romantic number. Moving to a rather energetic space, Two Left Feet — a track that Raghav says is about not being able to dance — is sure to get you grooving. “When I moved to Mumbai, my friends would joke about visiting a matchbox when they came home. All the songs in the album were written from the same house in the last six months. Since it’s also inspired by trying to be a full-time musician in a city like Mumbai, I couldn’t have had a better name. So, there’s a personal touch to the album,” says the 26-year-old trained Hindustani classical singer. The artwork for the album puts across this idea perfectly — a matchbox featuring Raghav’s silhouette and a bed with a guitar on it.
Even before the production and recording began, Raghav released his first single from the album, Better Than It All, to begin a crowdfunding campaign with an aim to raise `3.5l. Meanwhile, Raghav also travelled across the country with living room gigs, familiarising the audience with his music. The marketing proved helpful clearly, considering Raghav has now successfully recorded and launched the album. “Recording an album is quite expensive. The idea behind the crowdfunding campaign was to release one song and if people liked it, I asked them to contribute so I can mix and compose all the tracks. The response was great. I had people from Sikkim and Meghalaya contribute, thus leading the project to about `4.5l,” shares the Delhi-born singer-songwriter. Raghav will be performing at the upcoming Pandora Music Festival in the city, this weekend.
Available on iTunes and Saavn.