Musician Dhaval Kothari, who recently released the single Saaje Saaje, discussed how he is giving a modern twist to the traditional sound of Gujarat and taking it around the world. He says Punjabi artistes have done, and now it is their turn
Dhaval Kothari
Marry pop songs with Gujarati folk music, and take them to the listeners — that’s singer and musician Dhaval Kothari’s approach. He says, “Even if it’s a contemporary track, you’ll hear a folk element in there. That’s my way of making Gujarati music part of a global conversation. Punjabi artistes have already done this. Why not us?” His recent Gujarati single, Saaje Saaje, reflects this thought process.
The number infuses elements of pop and R&B music, and when you least expect it, it segues to the traditional folk song, Va Vaya Ne Vadar. With it, the singer — who has been releasing indie music since 2015 — says he didn’t want to “simply revamp a Garba tune”. “I wanted originality. The video, the outfits, it’s all part of how I want to present Gujarati indie music,” he shares.
Kothari is trained in Indian classical music, particularly the Mewati gharana. He credits his training as well as his upbringing for shaping him as an artiste. “I was born and brought up in Indore, exposed to multiple languages and cultures. From Nimaadi folk to Punjabi and Rajasthani, I absorbed everything. My dadi and nani used to sing folk songs, and those sounds remain in me. Even when I experiment with R&B or pop, the roots are always visible.”
Creating music is only half of his identity. Kothari is also an entrepreneur who runs All By Play, a music marketing agency. “I studied music business at Berklee Valencia. After that, between 2019 and 2021, I worked with Spotify. Eventually, I started my own agency. Now, I have a team of 30–35 people working on campaigns for big labels and independent artistes.”
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