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Exclusive Stream: Singer-Songwriter Mayur Nagpal and Producer Revoic’s Shimmering New Collab ‘Zarurat’

The Hindi song, also launched as an NFT, features vocals by singer-percussionist Apurva Raje

Oct 27, 2021

Singer-songwriter Mayur Nagpal and producer Revoic. Photos: Madhav Shaah (Nagpal), Ronick Buwadi (Revoic)

As far as producers shooting their shot goes, New Delhi-based Revoic aka Kshitij Khatri was sure of working with Mumbai/Goa singer-songwriter Mayur Nagpal when he came across the latter’s music on YouTube. “We were constantly talking on Instagram,” Revoic says.

The producer had a disco-informed, synth-pop instrumental track that he was sitting on for about a year and urged Nagpal to take on the song. The singer, for his part, actually didn’t know how to react. Over a joint call, as Nagpal recalls his initial surprise at being sent an electronic pop song by Revoic, the producer does manage a chuckle. The singer adds, “I was like, ‘I’ve just come out of [making] blues and you’re sending me a dance beat?’”

It led to their trippy, dance-y collaboration “Zarurat,” which puts itself out there as a self-love song. Nagpal adds, “I really liked the beat, it was growing on me and took me two months to figure out what I should write if I was dancing to this.” Revoic then also suggested female vocals to add to the dynamism of “Zarurat,” which led to bringing in singer Apurva on a quick verse about the “female perspective” towards self-love. Nagpal adds, “She’s been an integral part of my journey.”

Drawing from Eighties nostalgia sonically as well as visually for the artwork (by Kolkata artist Tharki Turkey aka Ishan Chattoraj), Revoic says he had the DeLorean (from Sci-Fi action film series Back To the Future) in mind from the very start.

While Nagpal has been steadily releasing singles since 2020 and has had songs like “Takiye,” Revoic had his breakthrough in 2019 with his EP Khogaya. As far as collaborations go, there are more ideas being exchanged but for now, the duo is also releasing three NFTs on crypto and blockchain platform WazirX for “Zarurat.” The song features over trippy visuals by artist FrescoArts. Revoic adds, “We know crypto is getting big in India, so we’re trying to explore the avenues.”

Listen to “Zarurat” below.

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