Delhi based singer-songwriter, Dhruv Kapoor released his 4-song debut EP Heartbreak Paradise last month. Kapoor gained inspiration for his EP from his own life experiences, after he went through an emotionally taxing breakup.
Just like almost every indie-folk singer-songwriter, Kapoor came out with songs about love, and that according to him (Kapoor) is because it is the easiest thing to write about as love is the most universal of all feelings. Everyone feels it and then writes about it. But then, what puts Heartbreak Paradise apart from other love themed songs?
All tracks on this EP blend perfectly well together, yet are distinct in their own subtle way. While guitar and keys are the dominant instruments, each song has its own uniqueness as compared to the previous one.
The soft, mellow, bittersweet feeling of the music, paired with Kapoor’s calm smooth vocals reveals to be the perfect combination when merged. His vocals throughout the EP, and the background music, seems always ample and not extravagant or unnecessary. The young musician doesn’t have complex lyrics which thus makes it relatable to all. “I write about myself, yet people can relate to it. It’s personal music, yet it is for everybody and that is very confusing, but it keeps me going.” says Dhruv.
The lyrics of each song are such that they talk about complex, yet simple emotions which everybody feels. Kapoor doesn’t consciously work on making it sound different. “I write music for me, and I write and make music on whatever flows naturally. And this (music) is a continuous process for me.” He wrote the title track in the studio and how it was written to encapsulate the entire EP.
The entire EP is based on heartbreak and love, but also on the fact that the different phases of love have a very uncomfortable yet comfortable feeling. The dichotomy is thus represented as heartbreak and paradise, co-existing together, which sums up the thought behind the EP. Right from the artwork, the EP name, and lyrics such as ‘I sobered up, with a glass of whiskey’ in the song Sober Up, Kapoor has used many metaphors. The artwork too showcases duality, two faces overlapping each other. How they’re different from each other but are co-existing both literally and symbolically. “I think that this is very fascinating because I’ve experienced these two different feelings at the same time and I think about it even now whenever I play,’’ says Kapoor.
Dhruv has also been working on a bunch of new music which isn’t related to love, and instead on many different ideas and topics. However, he explains that how guitar shall be his dominant instrument because he plays and composes on it although his new music may be instrumentally diverse. Besides that, he also plans on releasing a new music video this month and a lyric video in the next, so stay tuned for that!
