Raman Negi Talks Debut Solo Single ‘Mehroom’ and The Road Ahead

The power supply is giving way in Raman Negi’s Noida home, which means there’s a shrill sound (presumably from his backup generator) every time it comes and goes. When he’s not at home, he’s taking the metro to Malviya Nagar in New Delhi, where he’s working with producer Gaurav Chintamani (bassist for fusion frontrunners Advaita) and drummer Vaibhav Ahuja (from instrumental act Submarine In Space and fusion act RaagLeela).

Just before our interview, Negi had spent a day in the studio working on his future singles, the first of which has arrived with “Mehroom” earlier in May. He came back from the studio at 11:30 pm and had about half an hour until “Mehroom” – an autobiographical song that oscillates between quiet and emphatic – hit streaming platforms and all the promotions had to be done. “You don’t give a shit about stuff like promotions when you’re in the studio,” he says with a laugh.

So engrossing and enjoyable is the creation process for his debut solo album that Negi is finally in a tension-free zone after a year of mental turmoil. “How people consume and promote music has changed since the last time [I released music] – it makes me humble and I like that feeling,” he says. He might make mistakes or take time figuring out promotions, but his fans and friends are there every step of the way. “It’s beautiful,” he says.

The last time Negi was part of this, it was when Hindi rock band The Local Train released their album Vaaqif in 2018. A band that Negi had founded, it was heartbreaking news for every fan to hear he had left the band last year. “I started having these existential thoughts about myself as an artist […] You grow because of [writing songs] and your influences change and you change as an artist. I had a very tough time as an artist last year. That’s what ‘Mehroom’ is about,” Negi says. He began to detach himself from a very innate, honed sense of musicianship but resolved that he would take a step forward.

It was in June last year that “Mehroom” and Negi’s solo material began taking shape, even as he went on to drop a few hints on Instagram about material (which, perhaps to the layperson, could have been misconstrued as long-awaited songs from The Local Train). Back then, though, Negi says there “this band stuff” and a family emergency – his mother was on oxygen support in the hospital. “She was telling me, ‘I’ll be fine, just write your music.’ That’s what the song [‘Mehroom’] is about. It captures what I went through in the last three years. It became important to put out first,” he adds.

Even after the breakthrough creatively with the song, Negi says he gave up looking for further sonic direction with his solo material in October last year. He adds, “I thought I’ll go to some studio, record on an acoustic [guitar] and harmonica and just put it out. I was going to a therapist and she was saying, ‘You need to chill out, man’ But then you think, ‘What about my head?’” It was around then that he chanced upon a video on Instagram of Ahuja slamming away with funky rhythms. Negi was at his parents’ place in Chandigarh and following their talks, they began jamming together in November in New Delhi. Ahuja added to Negi’s scratch tracks and suggested Gaurav Chintamani as a producer for the project.

Negi says he didn’t know about Chintamani’s role as an artist, educator or producer much beyond Advaita, so his mind was blown when he came across the producer-bassist and guitarist’s collab-heavy rock project The Dirt Machine. “I was like, ‘Accha, kaafi exploration kar raha hai GC’ and felt like this is the guy I wanted to work with. He’s a proper guitarist, engineer and producer, bassist. I call him professor.” As co-producer, Chintamani is also playing bass on Negi’s upcoming solo album, which has 11 songs. The plan is to release the whole album in mid-October and until then, there are at least four more singles slated to release, including a music video in June.

All of this is now being funded and produced by Negi alone, as opposed to the times when an entire band fund – managed by a company – would be the norm. But the artist reiterates that “it’s a joy” to execute the ideas on and around the album. “I want to do a good job, because people have been waiting […] I’m glad I can do this on my terms and that’s very elevating. There are no qualms about it now,” he adds.

Stream the song on Spotify, JioSaavn and Apple Music.