Raghav: 'I Won't Chase Success'

Urban Desi artist Raghav took the world by storm with his debut album, "Storyteller," in 2004. With 1.3 million copies sold, Raghav quickly became a global celebrity. The world anticipated what would come next as his singles "My Kind of Girl" and "Humrahee" didn't disappoint. But years went by with no new album. At the end of the month, Raghav's second album, "Identity," will be released with Universal Music . DesiHits! sat down with Raghav to talk about the turning point in his career and his work on the upcoming album.

What can we expect from this album? "It starts out with the same sound as Storyteller. We wanted to create something that wasn't too different from what people had heard before. I think it hammers the fact that I'm very proud to be Canadian, I'm very proud to be Indian, and I'm very proud to have lived in the U.K. for the past 6 years. Lyrically and melodically, these things will never be forgotten. I wanted to show a range in my voice that perhaps I didn't show in Storyteller."

I'm sure you hear this a lot, but why wait until now? "I could have put the album out last year. I could have had it out a year and a half ago in fact. We all have a place out there and I've spent a lot of time thinking and taking my time. It seems to be a crime in this business to sort of sit back and think about things. I'm not going to chase what others describe as success."

What does this album mean to you? "Before I diverge from my sound, and the next album is totally divergent, "Identity" sort of solidifies that this is me. I look at "Identity" as part one of two. When people hear the next album they're gonna think "wow, is this the same guy?" The two new albums are kind of dividing that Asian, Indian heritage and the western side. No gray. It's black and it's white."

Releasing your first album can be a trip, what has it been like since? "The first time around it was completely life changing. Everyone that tells you it's not life changing is lying. When you look back on it, you just think "what an incredible time"."

What was it like living in Bombay for a few months? "I was on the outskirts, in a really peaceful area. I realized just how wonderful it is to go to the country you come from. I wanted to discover more of my music and the sounds that come from my culture. You incorporate all of these sounds from birth just by being born in a culture. "Humrahee" is a direct correlation of that. I didn't make this album in India at all. I only recorded one part there."

How did the deal with Universal happen? "Deals just come about. The deal was on the table for three years. It didn't seem right to just take something when I didn't know what I wanted to do. I don't think it's right to commit until you have a plan and it was only in the last year that I had a plan of doing these two albums."

What made you decide to sign with a label in India? "Rather than start by coming to New York and the U.K., I told my manager that since everyone wants to start in the West and go to the East, let's start in the East and go to the West. I wanted to embrace the people who have supported me 24-7."

Have you worked on any Bollywood films? "They asked me to sing on "Love Aaj Kaal." But in the end it just wasn't me you know. I need to write and be part of the process. Everything is very, very different in Bollywood. The industry has survived so well that the sound that is coming out of there is just blaring everywhere and is entwined with the people who left the country and moved to Canada and the U.K. and everywhere else."

Do you want to move into Bollywood films? "Bollywood is such a funny word. It's kind of derogatory. It's like a copy of Hollywood and I think that the Indian film industry has so much more to offer. I would love to be involved in the Indian film industry, but it would have to be in a project that was right, where I was involved in the creative process. From now on I want to create magic. Wherever that is, in the U.S., in India, in Kenya, I don't care as long as it's magic."

What about relationships? "My relationship status right now is single. Relationships are very definitive of our happiness in life. That's something you'll hear on "Identity." It's about failed and good relationships from my past."

So what's next for Raghav? "After "Storyteller" I did a very good job of not taking care of myself. I promised myself that I'm only going to continue to be physically and musically happy after this album drops."

If you were to work on a track with a group of Asian musicians who would they be? "Sonna Rele and Abhi, those two girls are going to change the face of Urban Desi music. I just think they're going to add a really great flavor to music, period. AR Rahman is arguably the most musically talented person on the planet. He, Sonna, Abhi and me, I think the three of us would create a really great, unique sound."

Do you have a message for you fans? "I'm sorry I've made you wait so long and I'm excited to be back. If you're patient, the next 9 months are going to be wonderful. I've given you every reason to forget about me so just, thank you."