Hear Seasoned New Delhi Rock Artist Chhris Powell Team Up with Indian Ocean’s Rahul Ram for Hypnotic Song ‘Jogi’  

For someone who’s been bashing his way behind the drum kit since 1985, New Delhi rock artist Chhris Powell knows how to persevere. After all, his latest single “Jogi” featuring fusion stalwarts Indian Ocean’s Rahul Ram, was written back in 2016 when they met in Bengaluru.  

The dark and power-packed fusion song is now out, part of Powell’s foray as a solo artist and with an all-star band called Roxspendables (featuring voices such as Luke Kenny, Vidhi Sharma, Suraj Jagan and more). Powell says, “Rahul was always the voice in my head for ‘Jogi’ right from its creation process of melody and lyrics. He’s a seasoned and complete musician, he gets into the skin and mood of the track by getting into its lyrical content and character literally.”  

In the works for nearly four years, it doesn’t faze Powell much to talk about the long road to releasing music. “Jogi” features guitarist and singer-songwriter Lokesh Bakshi, bassist Keshav Iyengar, keyboardist Jéson Mariano José Filipe and violinist Finix Ramdas. The release comes at a time when the former drummer for Hindi rock acts like Euphoria and Bandish already has music out via audio platform Songdew, which he worked on during the pandemic.  

Additionally, the time during the lockdown was spent linking up with several artists for an album marking Friendship Day. Powell lists out artists like Suraj Jagan on a song called “Bezubaani.” He adds, “To have him sing this track for me was a blessing; he never blinked an eye on hearing the scratch recording of the song and agreed to lend his voice.” Then there’s a rock ballad called “Sometimes We Fall IN Love,” featuring Luke Kenny and a posthumous feature by Powell’s brother, guitarist Desmond Powell. “It was something I always wanted to record as I grew up listening to that genre and was introduced to it by my brother,” the drummer says.  

Then, Powell takes the fusion route with “Pehchaan” featuring Indian Ocean vocalist Himanshu Joshi and Bandish collaborator Vidhi Sharma. “Himanshu is a perfectionist and pitches every note to perfection. Needless to say, his melodious voice is something that will mesmerize your senses… I swear by Vidhi’s beautiful and melodious voice,” Powell says. 

Surprisingly, Powell admits that it can sometimes get “annoying to the ears” to have to stick to just one vocalist for concerts, so he naturally gravitated towards collaborations for a diverse sound. “I get the opportunity to learn, execute and share the music in it’s most authentic form in an ocean of creativity and space of heart and soul,” he adds.  

There are two full albums written and produced by Powell and they feature the likes of Mohit Chauhan, the late K.K., Shubha Mudgal, Harshdeep Kaur, U.K. percussionist Pete Lockett and more. That’s Powell in the studio. For his stints on stage, he’s put together the Roxspendables, who will perform in the capital soon, with the same lineup of artists featured on his upcoming material. “I do miss the stage and all the live action I witnessed sitting way behind, at my 16-piece Pearl drum kit,” Powell says.  

Listen to “Jogi” below. Stream on more platforms here.