Raghav

March 21, 2011
Is Raghav Canada's least well known pop star?
By GUY DIXON
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
He may not be a household name here, but he has a huge following with South Asian audiences in the U.K. and India. Now, with a Juno nom, he may get some recognition at home
There should have been at least one paparazzo, one fan doing a double take.
Indo-Canadian pop star Raghav has a fistful of top-10 British hits and has done stadium shows before tens of thousands of fans on other continents. But as he sat down to talk in a Toronto hotel lobby, hostesses from a trade show looked on blankly. No one else seemed to care, either.
"If you and I walked through the Eaton Centre, 90 per cent of the people wouldn't know who the hell I was," he says, "and 5 per cent - which I'd say would be from the South Asian population - would be going 'Oh my gosh, it's Raghav!' "
But Toronto-born, Alberta-raised Raghav (whose full name is Raghav Mathur and whose parents are Punjabi immigrants to Canada) understands his anonymity at home. Until now, the singer has focused on the U.K., as well as farther-flung markets such as India and Africa, and in particular on the South Asian audiences in those locales.
Only now, as he is about to turn 30, is he trying to break into the North America mainstream. His timing can't be faulted: His top-40 hit So Much, with rapper Kardinal Offishall, is up for best R&B/soul recording of the year at next weekend's Juno Awards.
"I've got a massive following in Africa and India, and I don't want to ignore the fan base that has set me up. I mean, we've done stadiums out there - 16,000 people in Nairobi. People don't even know I've done the SkyDome [the Rogers Centre] in Toronto! Honestly, people don't know that because it's only the South Asian community that has shown up in the past."
As Raghav insists, though, his music isn't just geared towards one community or one country. Listen to any of his singles - from his early reggae and dancehall-infused So Confused to his song Fire, featuring Timbaland collaborator Jim Beanz - and you hear a commercial club-pop sound that could come from anywhere in the world.
"The idea is to take over the world, but I've started in my own backyard," he says.
His is quite a large backyard at this point. Raised mainly in Calgary, Raghav went to Los Angeles after high school. On the advice of a teacher, he connected with Seth Riggs, the vocal coach for both Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.
"I learned so much, not so much about singing from him - but about professionalism, and what it takes, and what kind of chops you need," he says.
But while he learned a lot in L.A., he also says he felt isolated.
"I needed to work on my songwriting and be in a place that was really creative, and around creative people. L.A. is a lot of things," he says, "but it's not terribly creative when you're on your own. It's kind of a lonely place."
So the singer's next stop was England, where he attended the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, the school that Paul McCartney helped turn into a state-of-the-art performance academy.
After a year, Raghav could no longer afford to pay for the program. But things were looking promising. He had joined the boy band 11/7 - which was nominated for best unsigned act at the British Music of Black Origin awards (known as the MOBOs) and had interest from the prominent manager Erskine Thompson.
Then, things took a downturn. Thompson died before 11/7 was signed. The band broke up. Raghav found himself living in a cheap apartment above a café on Holloway Road in North London. He hung out at a local recording studio, trying to hook up with producers and record labels.
He was having little luck until what seemed like "the big break." He signed with reggae producer 2 Play. His single So Confused was a hit. And for his Storyteller album, he hooked up with the prominent independent V2 Records. Within six months, Raghav had four top-10 hits in the U.K.
But - Globe and Mail

Kristina Maria is not the only talented Canadian artist releasing an album on April 10. Calgary-raised Raghav‘s long-awaited third album, The Phoenix, will finally be launched thanks to Cordova Bay Records. Raghav’s first album, Storyteller, was released by The United Kingdom-based label V2. Five of its tracks peaked within the Top 15 of the official UK singles chart; in fact, Raghav was the only artist local or international to enjoy 3 Top 10 hits in Britain during the year 2004.

Being of proud Indian heritage, Raghav decided to release his second album in the second-most populated country in the world, India. The work was entitled Identity and included songs in both English and Hindi.

Now that Raghav had become a major name in Britain and India, he returned home to Canada to release his third album after a number of charting singles, his most successful being gold-certified “Fire” which made the Top 100 songs of the year in Canada last year and has the singer nominated for a couple of CRMA awards this year. “So Much” featured renowned Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. Raghav’s latest single is “Top of the World”.

The Phoenix was produced by Labrinth (first artist signed to Simon Cowell’s label Syco) who produced the UK chart-topping single “Pass Out” for Tinie Tempah. Also producing on Raghav’s new album is Jim Beanz (Nelly Furtado, Britney Spears, Timbaland).

Raghav very smoothly incorporates elements of mainstream rock and roll, dance, R&B, rap, and Indian rhythms into his music and has fans from all over the world.
- Canadian Music Blog

The long wait is finally over! Raghav’s new album has been released!
After a 3 year gap, Raghav has finally put out another album, but this time it’s in his home country, Canada! The Phoenix is now out in stores across Canada as well as on iTunes Canada! For fans outside of Canada you can still order your copy from Maple Music.
With producers like Labrinth, Jim Beanz & Mushtaq on the album, it has quite a diversity of songs. You can find songs that’ll get you dancing, club bangers, ballads…basically something for everyone!
Although there’s no fusion between Hindi and English like he’s had in his previous albums Storyteller and Identity, you will still recognize a hint of Indian vocals in some of the tracks. He’s saving the Hindi songs for Bollywood!
This 11-track album has a song for every mood and every situation! A few of the songs on it have already been nominated for awards in Canada. So Much ft fellow Canadian Kardinal Offishall had been nominated for Juno Awards in 2011, 3 Canadian Radio Music Awards (CRMAs), and an Indie Award; Fire has been nominated for the 2012 CRMA’s, two 2012 Sirius XM Indie Awards, single of the year, and got certified Gold in Canada with over 50,000 downloads and has spun on Canadian radios over 30,000 times! Impressive, eh?
When Cordova Bay Records asked Raghav what this album meant to him, he had the following to say:
“It is a truly momentous day for me to have finally reached the goal of putting out an album in Canada. I am so fiercely proud of my first commercial release in my home country. For years as I had numerous single and album launches worldwide I would envision the day when I could “come back home” with my music. I’ve put all my creative energy into making this album. Hope you love it Canada.”
I’m sure Canada and fans all around the world will! Be sure to grab your copy of The Phoenix in stores near you, from iTunes Canada, or order your copy online from Maple Music.

Keep up to date with all things Raghav on his website, Twitter & Facebook page and check out his YouTube page for previews!


Read more: http://urbanasian.com/music/2012/04/raghav-releases-new-album-the-phoenix/#ixzz1uDoiObPT - Urban Asian

Raghav looks to grow beyond dance hits the single life

By Mike Bell, Calgary Herald April 10, 2012

SPOTLIGHT

Raghav's new album, The Phoenix, is released today.

It's tough, in this day and age, being a single guy. Especially when you want to be so much more.

Calgary musician Raghav Mathur appreciates the dilemma, because it's one he's dealing with as he gets set to release his debut North American full-length The Phoenix, which drops today in Canada, on the Victoria-based Cordova Bay label.

To many in this part of the world, the artist, who performs and records under his first name only, is known for dance hits such as Fire, Top of the World and the track So Much featuring Canuck hip-hop artist Kardinal Offishall, but he's hoping with the release of The Phoenix, people will get a more complete picture of what and who he is.

"For those that have heard the singles, the album is nothing like the singles," Raghav says, while sitting in Mount Royal tea house Steeps. "I often wonder if the day of the album is dead, and if this is something very few people will actually get to listen to and care about. But it's important to me because the depth, musically, to me, on the album, supersedes that of the singles. I'd like people to know there's more musicality to me than simply the singles - which I am proud of."

And, it's difficult not to look favourably on those tracks - all of which are included on the new album - and at the dance-pop side of his career, and it would be foolish not to note them.

There's Fire, which earned a number of radio award nominations and got some play in the Dome during games by his be-loved Flames; Love, which was originally written for Michael Jackson, who died before he could record it; and then there are the three songs he recorded with rising superstar U.K. producer Labyrinth, which Raghav is particularly excited about, considering the producer was signed by Simon Cowell and has just released his own album, which is expected to top the charts overseas. "I'm proud that he was able to give me the time when he's at the top of his game," Raghav says.

But still, the 31-year-old is hoping that those who may have dismissed him or even embraced him as merely a pop artist might look past those to see some of the ballads and more adult contemporary tracks on the record, which show off his greatest attribute and the reason he got into music as a child and seriously in his teens.

"The one thing that gets lost in the mix when you hear a (song) like Fire or Top of the World - which are fun singles - is that sometimes I forget I'm a singer. And I forget that what I actually do is sing. I do so much else throughout my day to keep my head above water, to have a career, even after selling a million records, sometimes it's frustrating that you forget what you do is you sing," he says. "And the album, I'm glad when I sit down to listen to it, I go, 'Wow, I'm glad that (song's) on there' so that people who go, 'That's a cheesy (song),' or, 'That's a pop (song),' they can say, 'Actually, this guy can sing.' "That will hold me in good stead if I get the breaks."

Again, his reference to selling more than a million records would seem to indicate that he's had his share of breaks over the years which he admits he has. That's especially true in Britain and more notably in India, where his two previous releases - Storyteller and Identity - were massive hits and made him a household name in that region a half-decade ago.

It also has led to another huge opportunity, which has nothing to do with the release of The Phoenix, but should, nonetheless, keep momentum going for the artist. Recently, Raghav began collaborating with A.R. Rachman, the Academy, Grammy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, etc. award-winning composer, songwriter and producer and man behind the music for Slumdog Millionaire. And as a result, Raghav should get some huge exposure thanks to an "international project" that's in the works down in - The Calgary Herald

By Canute Gomes

www.raghav.com

Coming off his radio hit “Fire” which spent over 20 weeks on Billboard’s Canada Hot 100, yesterday marked another great feat as Raghav released his new full-length album, The Phoenix. While showing a great deal of versatility, Raghav has provided his fans with a pop/R&B sounding album that also holds a few surprises for its listeners.

I was certainly very impressed with the sound of this album; from the artist to its producers, this team has done a great job of showcasing Raghav and his talent. Some of the collaborations on The Phoenix include fellow Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, artist and producer Labrinth, who was also the first artist signed to Simon Cowell’s label Syco, and last but not least legendary producer Jim Beanz, who has worked with the likes of Timbaland, Britney Spears, and Nelly Furtado.

The song “Love” was originally optioned by one of Raghav’s influences, Michael Jackson, but failing to have been recorded, the producer then chose Raghav for the song. Other notable tracks include the current radio single “Top Of The World”, “So Much”, which features Kardinal Offishall, and “Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya”, which was a positive surprise that introduced Raghav’s Bollywood style in a strong and entertaining manner.

What I found very refreshing about this album is that the artist was able to tie in his South-Asian roots with a modern approach. Not only through “Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya” but also in “Need Someone”, Raghav created a well-balanced song that shows listeners different sides of his work as well as his personality.

Finding success around the globe in places like the U.K. and India, Canada is just the next stop for Raghav. The Phoenix is a strong piece that delivers a unique and entertaining sound and truly showcases all of the talent that was put behind this album.
- Lithium Magazine

Raghav Puts On a New Skin and Unleashes “The Phoenix”
BY HANNA RASHID – APRIL 13, 2012

Every so often a hot, new Canadian musician bursts onto the music scene and everyone wonders where the heck has the musician come from, where has the musician been hiding.

For Canadian-born Raghav, whose new album The Phoenix was just released on April 10, the issue is not that he’s been keeping himself quiet – far from it, actually – but that his native country hasn’t been paying him much attention. Is it unfortunate? Yes. Does it often happen with Canadian artists? Absolutely, yes! And particularly so with Canadian musicians who, facing lack of opportunities, go abroad (usually to the U.K. or the States) in search of eager ears that might give them a listen. Recent examples of this type of musical migration are Austra, Drake, and Justin Bieber (shudder).

At the risk of angering some diehard music geeks out there, I think that Canada hasn’t produced a big name artist in a long time, not since Neil Diamond or Metric, or even Sum 41 (are those guys still around?); and this more than likely has something to do with our growing talent exodus. Once in a while some return, perhaps due to a sense of duty born out of national devotion, or maybe it’s that they really miss poutine. For internationally famed Raghav, the time has come for his home country to sit up and pay attention.

Raghav’s debut CD, Storyteller, sold an impressive 1.3 million copies worldwide. He then followed up with his critically acclaimed sophomore album, Identity, which earned the 31-year-old singer an international following as well as numerous industry awards. His past collaborations include Labrinth, Kardinal Offishal, Redman, and American legend Jim Beanz, who helped produce The Phoenix. But don’t expect to hear the same old Raghav in the new album, with his trademark blend of R&B/hip hop and traditional Indian music. The Phoenix marks the beginning of a dance-pop Raghav, insistent that people know he can sing, and properly too; but hey, his singing is also accompanied by catchy beats, so win-win! The new album sounds like a polished gem, carefully cut and crafted by so many hands that it’s in danger of effacing the Raghav many are familiar with. But according to Raghav, that’s just fine by him.

Cadence had the opportunity to speak to Raghav about his new album, the lack of recognition of his music in Canada, and what it was like to record a song previously meant to be on Michael Jackson’s comeback record.

Thank you so much for agreeing to do the interview with us. Where did the inspiration for creating your new album, The Phoenix, come from?

For me it’s my third studio album and I wanted it to be different from the first two for sure, and I wanted to be like – to sound like an international record. It took a little while to make because I made it independently, which is the hardest thing to do. [It’s] the first record that I made completely independently. But I wanted to have people on there that were, like, world class. I wanted people to be able to listen to this album alongside, I don’t know, a Frank Ocean album or a Kanye West album [and] not hear a difference musically, you know? Those guys get ten million dollars to spend on a record. The big thing on this was that the two producers that produced the spine of the album – Jim Beanz, [who] is like Timbaland’s right-hand man, and Labrinth, who is probably the biggest producer in the world outside the States right now, signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco – so working with those two guys really allowed me to make what I feel is a world-class record.

What was it like working with legendary producer Jim Beanz?

Jim is dope. I mean Jim’s got this great studio in Philadelphia, and whenever I go there, it’s like going – it’s not a resort, certainly not a resort, but what I’m trying to say is that it’s a complete getaway, you know? It’s like there’s nothing else to do in the area where he is except make rec - Cadence Canada

He’s on Top of the World but all Raghav Mathur wants is a little Love.

The 31-year-old Calgary singer, known simply as Raghav on the airwaves, recently dropped his latest album The Phoenix across North America.

With dance-anthem singles such as So Much and Fire burning up the charts, the latter earning nominations from Sirius XM Indie Awards and Canadian Radio Music Awards, Mathur says he eager to prove he can sing — no, really.

“When you hear Fire and Top of the World, I think people expect an album full of gadgets and tricks and auto-tuning,” says Mathur. “That’s why I’m so intent of having Love as my next single.”

Co-written by powerhouse producer Jim Beanz, Love was earmarked as the first single for Michael Jackson’s comeback album. Once Mathur heard it, he says he just had to sing it.

“That’s why I have so much love for Jim. He could have done so much with that record, but instead he gave it to this brown guy from Canada,” he says. “It would be the tragedy of all tragedies if it just sat there on the album.”

But after enjoying international success with past releases Identity and Storyteller across southeast Asian and U.K. pop charts, he says breaking back into the local scene is like starting from scratch. How fitting then, that his North American debut is called The Phoenix.

“When (U.K. album) Storyteller came out it never got released in Canada, but I was selling out the Corral in Calgary. And now that you come back and really concentrate on a marketplace, you start smaller if that makes any sense.”

With Canada as his home base, Mathur hopped across the pond to work with producer and singer-songwriter prodigy Labrinth, the first non-reality show talent signed to Simon Cowell’s label Syco in six years.

“(Labrinth’s) just brilliant,” Mathur said, adding he’s lucky to be “working with somebody who in two year’s time is going to be in a completely different stratosphere.

“I’m really enjoying this opportunity.”

But that’s not all. Mathur joined with Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rachman — of Slumdog Millionaire fame — on some Bollywood film songs still under wraps.

Yet even with these high-profile projects stoking his career, Mathur wants to bring it back to the basics.

“Sometimes we forget in this business what got us in.

“We're so worried about dates, productions or collaborations we forget that the reason we’re in this business is because we sing you know?”

He says he feels this album pushes him into a category beyond the pop and R&B he’s best known for and he can see himself moving toward adult contemporary for the next one.

“Now that I'm kind of restarting what I want to do, it's going to take me to another level in terms of my musicality,” he says.

But first he just wants a little Love.

ellen.keeble@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @EllenKeeble

- The Calgary SUN