If good, and with a little smart marketing, there is no way a good artiste can be ignored for too long: Raghu Dixit

The musician says that folk music needs more attention at the grassroot level, and folk musicians should be funded, trained for presentation in globally enjoyable formats.

Singer-composer Raghu Dixit is known for blending folk tunes with modern beats of music, and is one of the few musicians who made the genre popular at the mainstream level. But interestingly, he feels that the genre needs more attention at the grass-root level. “Folk musicians should be funded, trained for presentation in globally enjoyable formats and needs representation at global music festivals and art houses. Mainstream music has only exploited roots music for years and sadly, often misrepresented the authentic source of culture, poetry, stories or the music and its people itself,” he says.

Raghu Dixit has released a new track which is dedicated to his late adopted pet dog Thunti.

Dixit is also of the opinion that there is no dearth of inspiration in our country when it comes to music. “My music is truly inspired by our nation. We have so much diversity in our rich culture that there is no dearth of experiences and flavours. While we are proudly holding on to our centuries-old history and culture, we have embraced modernisation and global perspectives and cultures. My music is a true representation of the nation we are,” adds Dixit, who recently released a track titled Tsunami, which he dedicated to his adopted pet dog Thunti, whom he lost in January.

Raghu Dixit with his late dog Thunti

Talking about Bollywood where Dixit’s work is appreciated but scarce at the same time, he says that for him to work more in Bollywood, he would have to move to Mumbai, and he is not ready to shift from Bangalore yet. “I would love to do more Bollywood but I work from Bangalore. Bollywood work needs me to shift to Mumbai which I have resisted all these years because I believe my music comes from the place I am from and moving to Mumbai might change that source! Hopefully, all that will change in the next year once these strange times are behind us. I intend to travel to Mumbai often and meet everyone and see if I can get myself more opportunities.”

Adding that he believes entirely in hard work and talent, the Shugal Laga Le (Chef; 2017) singer says that favouritism exists everywhere. “It finally comes down to how awesome an artiste can be that the art he/she creates can break all barriers of favouritism/camps etc. I do not believe that it is difficult for newcomers to make a mark in the industry. If good, and with a little smart marketing, there is no way a good artist can be ignored for too long! If a newcomer is not able to make a mark, it’s time to look into what is missing in the process instead of blaming the system,” signs off Dixit.