Hear New Delhi Hip-Hop Artist JVish’s Buoyant Debut Song ‘King’

Getting production notes from a seasoned indie musician like Dhruv Visvanath is one thing, but it might be wholly different when he’s your brother. Mumbai/New Delhi hip-hop artist Jay Visvanath aka JVish turns to his sibling for production duties that certainly went beyond just making the triumphant sonics we hear on the debut single “King.”

JVish says about working with Dhruv, “Even while we were recording his advice about my delivery wasn’t centered only around clarity or a beat. He kept saying, ‘When you’re saying that you want to be King, don’t ask for it. Demand it. Push that feeling out. It isn’t a favor someone’s doing for you; you’re taking your place.’ He cared more about what I wanted to say, he’s nurturing and supportive that way.”

Interestingly, the younger Visvanath was already a rapper in 2016, when he started a YouTube channel called Toffee Cable, narrating fairy tales (“Cinderella,” “Rapunzel” and even “3 Little Piggies”) through rap. Soon, he added a guest verse on rock band May Island’s angsty 2017 song “Footsteps,” but everything was “start-stop.” JVish adds, “I was afraid to write something meaningful, but I realized I knew what I wanted to talk about and coming back home from Mumbai (where I work) to Delhi was the biggest push because my brother was here and it just made the decision a lot easier.”

On “King,” the rapper is as confident as ever but also adept at talking about mental health in a sensitive and sensible manner. JVish talks about living with one’s demons and “addressing their presence and use it as a strength” and feeling like a king for fighting those battles. Working with Dhruv, it’s the first of three singles that will be out by January next year. JVish says, “I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since then and now I’m full of nervous excitement to put something real out and to continue to do so.”

Stream “King” below on Spotify. Hear on JioSaavn, Apple Music and YouTube.