Most people have a hard time making a career choice even with the help of counsellors but Raghav Sachar knew early on that a nine to five was not for him. Having tinkered with the harmonica he was gifted on his fourth birthday, he made a life-changing decision. “I decided to ask my parents for a new musical instrument on every birthday.” After ad-lib performances at house parties and touring with a make-shift college band, he decided to back his skills with a degree from Monash University in Australia. With the success of his catchy melody Kabul Fiza, he learnt to “blend mainstream and creative impulses”. His latest album, Play It Loud, targets the youth but experiments with and revives a 50s sound with a little help from Sunidhi Chauhan. He also features prominently in upcoming soundtracks of movies like Sunday, 1, 2, 3 and Hale Dil. But it was not so long ago that his first album met with lukewarm responses. “It was a pure rendition ahead of its time” he reminiscences, without betraying any sense of bitterness. You won’t find a song of lament here, though.

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