This artiste builds a Carnatic Hip-Hop universe shaped by mental health narratives on Brahmandam

Govind Menon, known on stage as GVND is carving out a distinct space in contemporary Indian Hip-Hop by blending Carnatic musical sensibilities with introspective rap. Working across Malayalam and English, his music reflects a dual upbringing shaped by Kochi and Dubai, where identity, language and emotion constantly overlap. Through his project Brahmandam, he builds something closer to an internal archive than a traditional album — one that moves through thoughts, memories and emotional states.

Across Brahmandam, introspection isn’t just a theme but the structure itself

Within this framework, made with producer whoisavi, the track Amrit works as a stripped-back interlude that distils the project’s core ideas into a brief moment of reflection. Instead of expanding outward, it turns inward, offering listeners a concentrated entry point into the emotional tone of the album and quietly sets up the journey ahead.

For Govind, writing itself begins as a way to process difficult emotions. “Writing rhymes to express my negative emotions has been the major driving factor behind my music. As Amrit is the interlude to our tracklist Brahmandam, I wanted to keep it simple but also summarise the album in a way,” he says. The idea, he adds, is to summarise the emotional thread of the album in its simplest form.

Across Brahmandam, introspection isn’t just a theme but the structure itself. The title translates to “the universe,” but in his interpretation, it points to the universe within the mind — an inner space constantly shaped by emotional and cognitive movement. He describes the project as an ongoing attempt to understand that internal universe through rhyme and reflection.

This inward focus also surfaces in the phrase “Samanalayude thulabhaaram,” which he describes as a metaphor for mental balance. It reflects the constant weighing of emotions and perspectives, a kind of internal calibration that runs through the album’s tone and writing.

Language plays a central role in shaping this inner world. Govind moves between Malayalam and English fluidly, not as a stylistic experiment but as a reflection of lived experience. Growing up in a Malayali household in Dubai, while staying connected to Kerala, he developed a bilingual identity that naturally finds its way into his music.“I began rapping in Malayalam because I felt it was another authentic medium to express and stay connected to our roots. The main motivation was always to express, bounce with syllables and have fun coming up with different flows and rhythmic cadences,” he says.

Because he didn’t study Malayalam formally, his relationship with the language is self-taught and instinctive. He shares that he still cannot read or write it properly, and often pieces together lyrics using the vocabulary he knows, learning new words through conversations with friends and family along the way. That informal connection, he suggests, actually shapes the honesty of his expression. Musically, this translates into a fusion driven approach where Carnatic elements and Hip-Hop production sit side by side. “I think the nuance and depth of Carnatic music, when blended with Hip-Hop, creates really interesting textures and emotions. There’s a certain richness in that fusion that feels both rooted and fresh at the same time,” Govind shares. At the center of Brahmandam is also a sustained engagement with mental health. The album becomes a space where expression feels easier than conversation. “There were times when I struggled with my mental health and wasn’t quite able to express how I felt through conversations, but I could through poems and rhymes. The whole process became a coping mechanism for me,” he explains.

He observes that listeners today are increasingly drawn to this kind of emotional openness. “People don’t just want catchy songs anymore — they want stories, perspective and something they can relate to personally. I feel they connect more deeply with authenticity than perfection,” Govind adds.

Even his stage name reflects this journey. Originally a stylised version of his name Govind, GVND later came to represent “Good Vibes Never Die,” a phrase that took on deeper meaning over time.

As he explains, it now feels less like a slogan and more like something tested through experience, especially in relation to how he processes emotional lows through music. “By writing down those dark or ill thoughts and expressing them through rhythm and rhyme, I realised that good vibes never truly die. In Brahmandam, I’m practicing exactly that,” he says.

Acrossthe album, that idea is constantly revisited rather than simply stated. And Amrit, in its simplicity, becomes the threshold into that world — where the inner universe is not just described, but carefully observed and continually rewritten.

Amrit is now streaming on all major music platforms.

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