Rag is an Indian music artist from the Bay Area who has recently released his latest album, "Endless Nights," and is already gaining traction. The album's title suggests a sense of timelessness and cyclical nature, themes which are reflected throughout the album. The project is a loop of itself, with the last song ending and picking up right where the album began, giving the listener a sense of being in the backseat of Rag's never-ending bender. Rag's journey to this point in his career has been a five-year endeavor, during which he has been honing his sound and improving his craft. He started playing music at a young age and began writing songs in high school. Rag's love for music was fueled by his friends who were also pursuing their dreams of becoming artists, and seeing their dedication and passion inspired him to do the same.
His first foray into music was freestyling with friends, but he quickly realized that he wanted to make his own music. Rag started producing beats on his own and recording them on his laptop. He then started collaborating with other artists, which led to him releasing his first project, "Surfin'," which was well-received. Rag's music style is rooted in hip-hop and R&B, but he draws inspiration from a variety of genres, including Indian classical music, jazz, and rock. He describes his sound as a blend of different styles and influences, and he is constantly experimenting and pushing the boundaries of what he can create.
With "Endless Nights," Rag approached the creative and songwriting process with a clear vision. He knew what he wanted the album to represent and what kind of sounds he was looking for. This made the songwriting process more honest and easier for the artist. The album is a reflection of Rag's experiences and emotions that he has felt over the past year, which he has channeled into the music. The production process for "Endless Nights" was not without its challenges. Rag wanted each song to be its own world, resulting in him mixing each song differently than the last. This forced him to use plugins and software he had never used before, making the process more difficult, but ultimately helping him make each song feel more unique.
"Endless Nights" is Rag's second album, following the well-received "Surfin'." This time around, Rag's sound and style have matured and evolved, and he has learned a lot about mixing and mastering in between the two projects. His ultimate goal with "Endless Nights" was to introduce himself as an artist and show the kind of sound he is trying to create. The album is filled with standout tracks, such as "Hell Raisin'" with its catchy beats and poignant lyrics, and "Blame Me," which showcases a more vulnerable and introspective side of Rag's artistry. The cinematic and atmospheric "Taking Flight" stands out from the rest of the album with its somber tone and personal songwriting. Overall, "Endless Nights" tells the story of the endless nights that Rag has experienced over the last year and his headspace about it.
Rag, thank you for joining us today. To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself? For example, what inspired you to pursue a career in music and what has been your journey so far?
Howdy and thank you for having me on. Well I guess for starters I’m Rag, and I’m an Indian music artist from the Bay Area. Only recently have I been dropping music but for the better part of 4 - 5 years I’ve been trying to hone my sound and keep improving. I guess what inspired me to pursue a career in music is that one for it’s just insanely fun. Like I don’t know anything else that brings me as happy as making music and having a song come together just the way I want it. But also a big influence were my friends, who all started to really chase after their dreams and passions and I think seeing them encouraged me as well to go for it and see what happens.
Let's talk about your latest album, "Endless Nights." The title itself suggests a sense of timelessness and perhaps even cyclical nature. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this title and how it connects to the overarching themes and motifs explored on the album?
So you are absolutely right about the cyclical nature of the album. Months before even making Endless Nights I had wanted to make an album that really captured the vibe of a night out with me and friends. When I got back home from Arizona, we were going out every night and just partying and having a good time. So throughout all those weeks each night felt like the same in someway or another, like bits and pieces and events of each night would follow into the next day, and it just made these moments feel endless. So after that, I was fully inspired, and I began to draft up ideas and concepts for the album until finally deciding on Endless Nights. The whole album is basically a loop of itself, once the last song ends it picks up right as the album began, which is how these days were beginning to feel. So in this sense I guess I wanted to put the listener in the backseat of this never-ending bender I was having.
Your previous album, "Surfin'," was well-received. With "Endless Nights," how did you approach the creative and songwriting process? Were there any significant differences in your approach for this project that you could speak to?
Surfin’ was a really fun project to make, I remember I recorded it all in an apartment in Arizona and it was a great time. But what I felt it lacked was a clear vision, so going into Endless Nights I wanted to make sure I knew what I wanted the album to be and what I wanted it to represent. So right off the bat once I got the concept for the album, I knew what kind of sounds I was looking for and it made the songwriting easier and more honest.
"Hell Raisin'" is a standout track from the album, with its catchy beats and poignant lyrics. Can you provide some insight into the meaning behind the lyrics and the creative process of constructing the track? Were there any specific challenges or breakthrough moments during its creation?
So the concept behind the song was mainly about forgetting about the past and just living in the moment of the party. I feel like all of us at some point when we out have a moment when we think about some shit and just go ohhhhh fuck, and kinda get like locked in this mindset, and so this song is about having a moment like that, where you think about shit you ain’t proud of or some shit you could have done better, and trying to snap out of it by taking whatever and drinking whatever. And I think the breakthrough of the song really was when I got the hook down, I remember I had got the beat from LIL CHICK (French Producer) and was constantly making and scrapping melodies for it. And just one night I was pretty low and lil drunk and the beat was just stuck in my head so I went to the mic and just let the first words that came to me out, and thats when i got “smile on my face, it hides a lot pain”, and after that the rest of the song and lyrics came easy, because I wasn’t even thinking I was just letting whatever came to mind speak.
"Blame Me" is a track that showcases a more vulnerable and introspective side of your artistry. What was the thought process behind creating this track and presenting this side of yourself to your audience? How important do you think it is for artists to be honest and vulnerable in their music?
Yea definitely Blame Me! is a more personal track, shoutout to BL The Producer for the beat, amazing producer fr. But about the song, yea, I remember my headspace was definitely lower when I made it. I was in spot where no matter what I was doing, especially when it came to loved ones, it just wasn’t enough. And on top of that regardless of how hard I would try, or whose fault it really was, I’d get the blame, so I was just like fuck it okay blame me. You wanna throw all your guilt and regret on me okay fuck it I can take it. And I feel that a lot people feel this way you know, where you stop caring what other people be building you up in their head to be, its like whatever bruh I know me, so if you wanna be talking out the side of your mouth, go ahead, I don’t care. And I think its an important side of myself to show because like its more honest because yea like in between these great, happy, wild moments in life theres shit that’ll have you fucked up for a minute just wondering if you did the right thing or not.
"Taking Flight" is a cinematic and atmospheric track that stands out from the rest of the album. What was the inspiration behind the production and sound for this track? Were there any specific influences or references that you drew from in creating it?
Taking Flight is definitely one of my favorite tracks off the album, I remember immediately falling in love with the guitar that boi sick (Producer) had put on the beat, and the somber tone and overall space the track had. It definitely made me think about past a lot, especially like old relationships and intimate moments and that guided me on the songwriting aspect. So going into writing this song I knew I wanted to make a more personal track, something that gave the listener a lil peak into my head and the shit I think about. And its like yea, throughout the day, this kinda shit go through my head, like dreams about what I want to become and older memories from the past rearing their head, and past regrets, but also beautiful moments.
Let's talk about the production process for "Endless Nights." Were there any unexpected challenges or creative decisions that arose during the recording of the album? How did you navigate those challenges and make decisions about the direction of the album?
Yea absolutely this project definitely was a pain in my ass at times to mix and master. I really wanted to make sure this time around that every song was its own world, so with that philosophy each song I went into mixing differently than the last. This definitely made things harder because it was forcing me to use plugins and software I had never used before, but overall I think it helped me make each song feel more unique from the last.
Your sound and style have evolved and matured since your first album. How do you think your artistry has grown and changed since your last project? What new elements or techniques did you explore on "Endless Nights"?
I think I learned a lot, especially about mixing and mastering, in between Surfin’ and Endless Nights. Definitely shoutout to OVRCZ, who’s advice on production and overall structure of songs really opened my eyes to what you can do on a track. On Endless Nights especially I learned to write songs more honestly and more personally, which I feel in the past I haven’t really explored, but moving forward I want to continue.
What were some of the challenges you faced during the creation of "Endless Nights," and how did you overcome them? Were there any moments of doubt or uncertainty that you had to work through during the recording process?
I think the biggest challenge I faced on the album was the idea of perfect. I feel like us artists in general put maybe too much pressure on things sounding and being exactly how we want them to be. For example on Devotion, I probably spent like 6 days getting the chorus to sound how I wanted it to, like stupid shit like that, I would waste so much time. And I think also like I did have a few moments of doubt or second guessing when making the album like you know like, “is this even worth it”, “this sounds like shit just scrap it”, like I’d have those kinds of moments at times but you just gotta keep it pushing and creating. Easier said than done absolutely, like I’d have weeks in-between where I wasn’t creating but you gotta learn when to step away and let things simmer and set in your head, and let the moment, whether that be in the studio or wherever, happen rather than forcing it.
We'd love to know if you have a personal favorite track from the album. Is there one that stands out to you above the rest, and if so, why?
I think my personal favorite from the album would have to be Devotion. I just remember loving the beat within the first like 5 seconds of it playing and just immediately started typing out a verse. I think just everything on it, from the beat and the lyrics, to the of the words delivery came out exactly how I wanted. It was probably the song which took the longest tho, like 6-8 months, I think I bounced and deleted hundreds of different versions of this one until landing on this, but it was the most rewarding both sonically and personally to me.
When listeners hear "Endless Nights," what kind of emotions and feelings do you hope to evoke in them? What do you want your music to make people think or feel?
I hope people feel excited when listening to the album. I hope it brings out the same kind of energy as when you just pull up to a club, step in and everything’s perfect, the music blasting, drinks pouring, people dancing, and just having a great moment.
Are there any specific messages or themes that you hope your listeners will take away from the album? If so, what are they, and why are they important to you as an artist?
Honestly, I just hope people enjoy the music and vibes of the album, I think we got a pretty cool project here with a lil something for everyone to enjoy.
What are your ultimate goals and aspirations for "Endless Nights"? What do you hope to achieve with this project, both personally and professionally?
I think my ultimate goal with this project was to truly introduce myself as an artist and show the kind of sound that I’m trying to create. I wanted to tell a proper story with this album about how these nights have been going down for the last year and my headspace about it.
What can fans expect from your live performances and shows? Do you have any specific ideas or plans in mind for future performances?
Definitely stay tuned, got some plans for some performances at local venues around SF in the future.
Finally, what's next for you after the release of "Endless Nights"? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you are currently working on that your fans can look forward to? We'd love to know what's on the horizon for your career as an artist.
Oh yea always making music, and I’m extremely excited to show off what I’ve been working on since the album. All I can say is that August is gonna be a fun month :)