Viveick Rajagopalan Releases Sublime New Fusion Song ‘Raat Subah Si’

In pursuit for portraying female sensuality and desire through music and interpretive dance, Mumbai composer-producer and percussionist Viveick Rajagopalan gets a little help from friends on his passionate yet subtly crafted new single “Raat Subah Si.” 

The video, directed by Dharavi-bred filmmaker and editor Rafiq Raja, sees dancer Aditi Bhagwat in the lead role, artfully portraying a woman who is seen dressing up and later in the throes of euphoria as she recalls a night spent with a lover. The black and white video also shows us glimpses of Rajagopalan at the udu (a Nigerian-origin percussive instrument that inflects Indian traditional rhythms), Sanjay Divecha at the guitar and vocalist Isheeta Chakrvarty. Although not part of the video, “Raat Subah Si” features clarinet artist Carola Ortiz. Rajagopalan adds about the song in a statement, “The rhythm is the constant reminder of this beautiful night between the two lovers.” 

Originally composed in 2006 for a film that never quite panned out, Rajagopalan took “Raat Subah Si” through various versions with different voices before finding Chakrvarty to helm vocals in early 2020. She says about the track, “Viveick had a vision for this song and while I’ve always been argumentative about doing or redoing parts, he would always be gentle in putting forward his point. I trust his vision especially after ‘Raat Subah Si,’ because I saw him working not just as an artist but also as a mentor.”

While the vocals are predominantly drawing from Indian classical music, the jazz hues of the track also left a lot of space for improvisation, which Chakrvarty and Rajagopalan separately say they approached with the goal of self-control. The singer says, “As a classical vocalist or a jazz artist, you see space [in a song] and you tend to run riot with it. This was about maintaining restraint.” 

While it’s been a long road to releasing “Raat Subah Si,” Rajagopalan has kickstarted the new year with a release, following up his previous single “Navya,” which was out in June last year. He adds about what’s coming up, “I am hoping to release another Ta Dhom track with a new set of kids I’m teaching.” 

Watch the video for “Raat Subah Si” below. Stream/buy the track here.