Mic drop: KR$NA’s latest EP, ‘For The Day Ones’ is inspired from his early days as a rap artiste
Last year, Indian rap artiste and producer KR$NA, released his EP Far From Over, which was his reminder to people who thought the hype around him was over (because KR$NA took a break of about 5 months from making music). Now, the rap artiste has released his latest EP, For The Day Ones, which includes four diverse tracks, showcasing his versatile artistry and unique sound and features collaborations with Lisa Mishra, Faris Shafi and Karma. We recently got into a quick chat with KR$NA to talk about his EP, how the collaborations came about, the idea behind it and lots more…
Can you tell us the idea behind your latest EP?
So, I have been in the rap industry for quite some time now. But there are fans who have no idea about the kind of music I was making or my history. So, I thought of making a set of smaller songs that showcase what I do in terms of the kind of rap or the kind of music I make, but also look back at the kind of music I used to make in terms of the sub-genres and the melodies. It’s titled as For The Day Ones because it’s majorly for the people who were with me back in the day, as well. It’s also me looking back into all the phases that I’ve had in terms of the kind of music I was making.
The EP includes four songs. Out of them, which ones were the most interesting to work on?
There were a couple of songs actually. What’s Up with Lisa Mishra was interesting because I had never done a song like that or I had done it but never released it. I thought, “Will people like me in this?” Because my songs are pretty hard and cater to hardcore rap listeners. It was a bit of a gamble and also I didn’t know if it would sit well with the audience. And it has, which has surprised me a lot, to be honest. Getting in the studio with Lisa, writing the song, then her compositions, just coming together and making that song, it was quite a good experience. The song Stay Away was an interesting one because the original idea of the song came about when I was almost 13 years old. My friend used to write and produce my music at that time but the song didn’t get released. Stay Away is not exactly that song but it’s a lot similar. So, the song is a call back to my 13 year old.
How did the collaborations for the songs happen?
For two of the songs (Stay Away and Shut Up), it was just the producers. With Lisa, I had a scratch of the song. I had sent it to her a couple of weeks ago. I did my part and then I flew to Mumbai, where we had a studio session and she had come up with some melodies. She primarily writes in English, so we went from English to Hindi in that session. For the song Role Model, which was produced by Deep Kalsi, I contacted Pakistani rap artiste and songwriter Faris Shafi, who did the verse for the song.
What does your routine look like when you are not working on any music?
Even when I’m not working on music, I would still be trying to perfect some of my skills here and there. I also play golf. My routine is nothing hectic but still revolves around music.
What are some of your learnings growing up as a rap artiste?
I know the industry very very well, because before I started making music professionally, I used to work at a label. What the music industry was 10 years ago, it’s not the same now. I think the focus is more on streaming numbers. The focus has gone away from YouTube also. We were judging songs by the number of views. Are we judging songs on the basis of views now? I don’t think so. It’s more about streams. It’s just a constant evolution and it’s important for artistes to just stick with the times.
What’s next for you?
I’ll start doing shows by September and probably a tour by the end of the year. But before that, I’ll put out some more music and work on some pending collaborations.
For The Day Ones is streaming on all audio platforms.
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