WWM – What genres/artists is Half a Moon influenced by?

Rohan: This is a song that I was able to write because of all the music I have nourished ever since I was a child. Half a Moon isn’t inspired by just a single artist or a genre. From the time the song starts till it ends there is a sense of familiarity, almost like you’ve heard it before but not quite.

WWM – What’s your song writing process like?

Rohan: I’ve had songs where I worked on them for a month or even more at times just because they felt like an unfinished canvas. Almost every song I write comes out full cloth within hours of me sitting down, working on it and getting that feeling or emotion down on paper before it goes away. Half a Moon was one of these songs.

WWM – Tell us about your musical journey? Is your family musical?

Rohan: I’ve been drawn to music ever since I was a little child, dancing to old bops playing on the television, understanding trunks worth of music my dad collected while he travelled around the country serving the Indian army. I picked up the guitar in high school though, the music room had this charm of sorts that made it intimidating but at the same time friendly enough to reel me in. That’s where it all started. My family is musical but they’re different because they understand music from my perspective as well and continue to. My mom has a knack for dancing and singing, my dad is a huge collector of cassettes and vinyl’s and my sister played the keys back in high school. I’ve been extremely lucky to have a family that supports me in all aspects of music and they understand the dream I’m chasing and what Music means to me.

WWM – Where do you take inspiration from for making music?

Rohan: One of my primary inspirations without a doubt is John Mayer. From his song writing ability to composing melodies that make you want to sway to the music and just be relatable enough to be listenable. It’s extremely inspiring.

WWM – Tell us about the experience of making your new EP. Could you please elaborate on why you chose to write about loss and grief?

Rohan: This EP was fun from the writing process to the recording process because it was my first ever record. It was compared to nothing I’ve ever done before, a new experience. Working with professionals like Raag and Protyay who picked up on what sound I was going for ever since I played them the first song was such a blessing. It made the whole experience ten times better and a whole lot easier. Loss and grief are strong emotions that we don’t often talk about until and unless circumstances force us to. Happiness/ Joy and Loss/Grief are two sides of the same coin. While you see reflections of Loss/Grief in “Half a Moon”, you can taste the flavours of Happiness/Joy in my first single “Days with Her”. It’s tough to talk about death and departure, I wanted to challenge myself as a singer-songwriter and just
write about something that’s difficult to talk about.

WWM – Could you tell us about your aspirations as a musician? What are your musical plans for say the next 6 months?

Rohan: I’ve not done enough to set my expectations yet but I will go wherever music takes me. I will keep writing; I will keep putting music out till I can. The sky is the limit and I’m not stopping till I reach for it. There’s a lot more music that is going to be released into the world in the next 6
months and I am also looking forward to touring around the country and play these
songs to people once covid eases down, after all touring is the best part of making
music.

Song credits:

• Guitar & Production – Raag Sethi
• Mixing and Mastering – Protyay Charaborty
• Recorded at compass box studios, Ahmedabad