Singer-Songwriter Gaurav Tophakhane Talks New EP ‘Kehta Hai Dil’ and Touring

Pune singer-songwriter Gaurav Tophakhane has been steadily building up to release his EP Kehta Hai Dil, with two out of three singles – the shimmering, guitar-driven “Tum Na Ho” and synth-informed melancholy tune “Keh Bhi De” – out in the previous months. Now, with the release of his slow-dance jam “Kehta Hai Dil,” the three-track EP is complete.

Then comes the more difficult part for any independent artist – putting together a tour to promote the release. “I was nervous and anxious while booking the shows as it’s been a while since I have played an originals set now,” Tophakhane says. Formerly the frontman in rock band Skylight Vision and often part of the touring crew for artists like Prateek Kuhad in the past, Tophakhane says it’s been tough getting gigs without management or a booking agent.

Nevertheless, he’s currently kicking off his tour in New Delhi tonight, performing at Depot48, followed by a Mumbai show on September 6th at antiSOCIAL and September 13th at Swig S.B. on home ground in Pune. Shows in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are slated to be added to the EP launch going up to December. It’s his first time performing original music in all cities.

Tophakhane has waited for this moment in many ways, considering he says he built up his catalog since 2019, releasing original songs before securing gigs that didn’t include any covers in the setlist. “Now with 15 songs in the catalog, I feel it’s time to take the songs live. While putting these shows together I always had a thought of playing across cities which I haven’t played in,” he adds. Planning began in May and the artist will now be joined by singer-songwriters like Vicky & Tejas in Mumbai and New Delhi, Arham Fulfagar and Neyhal in Mumbai, Anchit Magee in New Delhi and others.

During his wait to get gig-ready, Tophakhane notes that venues too changed their payment model, with more opting for sharing revenue from tickets sold online and at the gate, where they would have earlier paid a flat performance fee. “It’s difficult to predict the amount you could earn through the show. The major difference I feel between earlier days and now is the crowd has become more mature when it comes to paying for the shows, so you need to make sure you put the right ticketing price when you have a multi-artist lineup,” the artist adds.

On stage, Tophakhane will be joined by Vicky as guitarist (who is also a co-writer on the former’s material), plus keyboardist Darel Joseph, drummer Rohan Kulkarni and bassist Rohit Lalwani. “In the near future, I plan to add a brass section in the live set, as I have always been fascinated by a live brass section in the songs and I have been working on a few arrangements with such sections,” Tophakhane says.

Listen to ‘Kehta Hai Dil’ EP below. Get tickets for Gaurav Tophakhane’s shows here.