09 Feb In Conversation With – Dohnraj
The ‘‘In Conversation with’ series brings to you the stories of various creative professionals from the music industry and provides a glimpse into their journeys. Today’s conversation with Dohnraj shares his relationship with music and explores his artistic influences and journey.
“My life has always been like a canvas and everything happening around me, my gathered experiences and the knowledge are just colors that I put on that canvas. I found myself figuring out what I want out of my music and what my philosophy is and the clearer those things got the
clearer what I wanted to wear, or say or do seemed to have gotten.”
Thoughtful, poised and articulate, Dohnraj is a singer-songwriter from Delhi whose music goes beyond any genre. Our conversation leads to exploring his journey with his album ‘Beauty and Bullshit’, his songwriting process, the importance of spirituality and philosophy in his life and his upcoming projects.
Genesis
Growing up we all find certain styles of music more prominent and fitting to reflect the best version of us, similarly, Dohnraj shares his influences and idols that helped him find his truest self. “My dad loved playing indian classical music in the house and at the time even though I saw the passion he had for it, I couldn’t connect to it. Later I got introduced to Michael Jackson, Prince, David Bowie and John Lennon, which is when music clicked for me because I had found myself drawn towards that sound as it resonated with me”. A monumental event that contributed to his perception of music was a conversation shared between him and Quincy Jones. “He gave me quite profound advice in terms of building my artistry further, I told him about me dancing and he told me to pursue music and try to understand the roots of it. That is when music became quite prominent in my journey, to meet Quincy Jones meant a lot as he has influenced me quite a lot.”
Dohnraj has also been a part of a program collaboration between GMI and the Delhi Government and shares his experience while working towards a goal that he felt quite passionate towards. “As part of the “GMI – Delhi Government” program we taught music education to underprivileged kids. It was a very insightful, perceptive and quite the learning experience for me. For instance, there was a student who was very passionate about the western classical music which I never would’ve imagined to be the case but it was a wonderful journey. I learned that with kids you have the responsibility and power to shape their vision and give them the tools to better understand themselves and their music knowledge. It was a very wholesome experience for me to be there in that position as an artist”. We at Global Music Institute also offer courses for performances and production to fuel the passion many have for music.
The musicality of an artist is always important in contributing to their artistry but there is much more that helps in establishing a brand. Talking with Dohnraj helped to understand the importance of aesthetics and building a brand that best reflects you as a person. “An image and aesthetic is everything. You look at cultures, genres and different era’s of music and you see a trend being present and so much helps with that be it the clothes, the lights and performance and of course the music. For me it seems more of a consciousness rather than a choice, everything you do is simply a reflection of who you are and rarely do i try to force an aesthetic upon myself. What I put and how I perform needs to reflect who I am the best.” Influences like Prince and David Bowie explain the confidence and flamboyance that exists within Dohnraj’s music and his aesthetic. “All the artists i grew up listening to are the most honest form of themselves and when you do that you are truly able to communicate with the audience.”
A Discussion on Philosophy and Art
Dohnraj speaks of how spirituality and philosophy have guided him in his life and also have been present in his music. “My music is very groovy and danceable but if you read the lyrics and understand them, you’ll find them to be introspective and philosophical. I am making music I would’ve wanted to hear growing up. If you’re truly living, you’ll find yourself frustrated a lot. I was bullied growing up and ultimately needed answers. I had to do things differently because carrying anger wasn’t helping me. Music has helped me understand my philosophy, it is a conversation I start when I get on stage and find the answers from within.”
As artists, we often push ourselves to find our sound, yet a conversation with Dohnraj provided a different perspective to better understand ourselves and why ‘finding your sound’ isn’t necessarily where one’s focus should be. “A quote that resonates with me is by the philosopher Alan Watts, ‘trying to know who you are is like biting your own teeth’. When I was concerned about my sound, nothing was clicking and I was struggling to even come to terms with myself. You build this image of yourself that overtime you find quite impossible to reach. It is the self concern that stops us from really doing things because it comes from a place of trying to build self worth and self esteem. But if you manage to turn that around and let go of the idea of ‘self’, you’ll truly see a difference in you as an artist and a person.”
Musicality
Dohnraj shares a glimpse into his songwriting process and how oftentimes there seemed to have been a challenge in translating our most authentics self into a song that best represents us. “To me everything is creative and everyone should have an outlet to communicate complicated emotions. There were times when I was exaggerating certain feelings which I realized wasn’t what I wanted my artistry to convey, therefore things started to fall apart. Through my knowledge I started to understand that I do not have control of many things and at
times my job as an artist was to simply show up and do the work, I have to keep my ego outside, for that flow to become easier.” His latest EP is titled ‘Beauty & Bullshit’, Dohnraj breaks down his creative process while working on the project. “Beauty & Bullshit was an exercise for
me. Each of the songs I’ve written within a day, leading me to write 25-30 songs within a month. It was a tangible affirmation to have my subconscious on the paper. That way I feel people resonate with the artists as well because they see this unseeable world which they are a part of but rarely lay their eyes upon.”
“My last album has been such a blessing and when someone asks me what the album was about, I tell them it is all about endurance. My vision is to just see what happens when I keep doing this, I am in a unique situation because the love I have for this is crazy. I have come a long way with my art and there has been so much growth that I myself have seen. As time passes, I think I will have a deeper clarity, right now I am just on coffee.”
Written and Interviewed by Naman
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