22-year-old Music Discovery, dhruv gives dream pop a new glow on the chill yet vulnerable coming-of-age debut EP “rapunzel.”
Music Discovery: dhruv
From a young age, Dhruv composed melodies and songs on his bedroom piano. Soon, he released acoustic demos to Soundcloud, where he accumulated a small following. Dhruv is a 22-year-old Singapore-raised artist but has roots in India. Sonically, dhruv leans towards a relaxed R&B and soft pop. His musical style reflects the sounds and lyricism of Troye Sivan’s Blue Nieghbourhood,” Khalid’s “American Teen” and artist Frank Ocean. His first career success is the love-crazy single “Double Take” released to Soundcloud. He describes the track as “… a song about falling in love with a friend and how dizzying that can feel.” Since its 2020 release, the track now has over 227 million streams.
“Rapunzel” EP
Dhruv’s latest work dropped in late January. His debut EP “rapunzel” is a collection of growing pains, from falling in love with a friend to being queer. The cover art reflects a coming-of-age story with a childhood picture of dhruv sitting, looking off. Singles like “double take,” “moonlight” and “vulnerable,” despite being older works, still make it on the project. Regarding “moonlight,” he says, “I wanted to write something intoxicating and beautiful like the love we see on the big screen, something I never got to experience in real-life.” The lyrics are filled with flowery images seen only through books, film, and pop culture.
Through “moonlight” and the EP, he explores being a hopeless romantic. And in some cases, like in “vulnerable,” he wants to stop feeling that way. Although his lyricism isn’t mature, there are moments like on “airplane notes” where his adolescent honesty is comforting. However, what is most appealing about “rapunzel” is that amongst soft production and beats, dhruv’s voice always pulls through and ties the experience with truth, sadness, and something meaningful.
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