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Story last updated: 05 Feb 2004 1513 GMT Printable version of this page
Raghav is raring to go

He's one of the up-and-coming stars of Asian music's crossover into mainstream pop, but Raghav worries the music he has loved for years may be dismissed as a fad.

After featuring on 2Play's So Confused, the singer is eagerly awaiting the release of his first solo single Can't Get Enough.

Asian-Canadian sensation Raghav visited Evolution recently

He visited Bristol's Evolution this week - and BBCi Bristol managed to catch up with him backstage.

"I've never been to Bristol before, but wow, there was a lot of love out there," he said.

"Quite a few people have heard the singles, there's a little bit of notoriety, so now I have a base of people out there who look forward to hearing my music and I hope I don't disappoint them in the future.

"I'm working on the album at the moment - it is a mix of Hindi, RnB, and reggae - there's a real Bollywood feel to it.

"It is definitive of who I am and how I've grown up - the music I've listened to. It is a fusion of my life up until now in the form of music."

He's part of a wave of Asian-influenced music to hit the charts in recent months, but Raghav is hoping it doesn't turn into yet another short-lived trend and fall out of favour.

Asian music

"It is important that Asian music is recognised in the mainstream, though I worry that we may be a fashion and a fad, and that we will go out of fashion.

"I think there's so much depth to our culture and our music that as long as we continue to stay true to that as artists and as Asians, then the music will always speak for itself.

"I want to be part of it and I'm looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of Asian artists in the spotlight for many years to come."

Raghav came to the UK from his home in Canada to study at the Fame-style Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts - and says he plans to stay for the forseeable future.

"I'm here for good now, this is definitely home. I hope to tour in Europe and Asia and even go back to North America, but this is home - it is where I want to base my life and my career from here on.

"I've been in England for about three-and-a-half years, trying to make music, plugging away, now all of a sudden we have a little bit of success so it feels fantastic - the UK has been really good to me."

Famous names

He's been singing since the tender age of five - but admits he still gets starstruck working with some of the music industry's big names.

"The album will feature lots of collaborations - Iceberg Slim, who I believe is the hottest rapper on the continent at the moment - and I'm over the moon that we're out promoting this record together.

"Production wise there's Sly and Robbie and Incognito - I'm working with world-renowned names in the music industry."

And he says there may be some other famous name collaborations up ahead.

"There are some other artists in the pipeline, but I don't want to jinx it - I don't want to make promises I can't keep."

Can't Get Enough looks set to catapult him into the limelight - yet Raghav is determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

"I'm taking it one day at a time at the moment," he explains. "I've seen so many people get to the stage where they have a single out and nothing happens after that.

"But I'm putting my heart, soul, body and mind into getting my music out there. At the moment it looks good but we'll just have to see what happens."

Raghav's new single Can't Get Enough is released on February 16.

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SEE ALSO ON BBCi
 

Asian Network

Radio 1 - New Music

Comedy in Bristol
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Video Nation in Bristol

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