Narayan And John Dakolias Return With Intricate New Gem, “Lonely”

Over the past year, Narayan has gone from being an unknown producer from India, to taking over global markets one step at a time with his well-produced singles and irresistible covers. Though his catalog is still relatively small in comparison to some of his contemporaries, the young artist has achieved a large number of impressive accomplishments, among them signing his music to labels such as Simplify and MOST WANTED, as well as being enlisted to produce sample packs for companies like CR2 Records and Audentity Records. 

Rising together in the industry with your friends always feels amazing, and one of those close collaborators to Narayan is Greek talent John Dakolias, who has now just lent his voice to Narayan’s new single “Lonely.” Marking their third collaboration, “Lonely” once again displays their unmatched chemistry in full. While John Dakolias’ falsetto vocals and intimate lyrics are in the forefront, Narayan slowly builds up a summery instrumental, before allowing the arrangement to explode into a catchy and memorable drop. 

You just shared your new single “Lonely” featuring John Dakolias. Talk to us a bit about the meaning behind the song and how it came about. 

Lonely is a really personal song to me actually. I originally did a remix for one of Lauv’s track which couldn’t get released officially so I decided to turn it into an original. I sent the instrumental to John and he made a really catchy vocal melody for it. He’s a magician when it comes to vocal melodies. Actually, this is my first song where I co-wrote the lyrics as well. I sent the lyrical draft to John and he finalized them. The song revolves around the feeling of when someone gets away from you and you just want to have a talk with them. You start to feel lonely for that person and start to remember all the memories. Credits to Bonfire Records as well for working with me on the release.

Throughout your releases you are definitely showcasing a lot of diversity. What is pushing you to explore all these different sounds in each song instead of sticking to one particular genre?  

I’m all moody. Somedays I feel like I need more energy, I write a Housy, Dancy tune which will make my feet tap or some days I feel “Lonely” so I write something like my recent release. I don’t want to bind myself to a specific genre. I remember doing Dubstep and Progressive house in the past as well. 

You recently released a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” with theajsound. Why do you think dance covers are so popular and beloved by fans right now?  

I think since the clubbing days are coming back as Covid is slowing down people are really looking forward to getting their bodies moving. Dance covers are really taking over the music market at the moment. But for me the reason for doing “Bad Habits” was to make the original track (which is such a banger) more of a club tune so that people can feel it in the clubs.

What part of India are you based in? What’s the EDM scene like there, and throughout India in general?  

I’m currently based in Jalandhar, Punjab which is in North India. There is not much EDM culture here in Punjab; very few people are into electronic music here. Regional Rap is the main trend. but in terms of EDM Culture in India, it is really booming as many new artists are emerging and people are really consuming dance music as their daily music. It is still yet to develop more though. I really hope to see more of dance music scene here in Punjab as well!

How did you start producing, and decide to start working towards achieving a career in music?   

I started back in 2015, when I saw an advert of Skrillex touring India. Me and my older brother got so inspired we decided to form a Duo, our dad gifted us a DJ Mixer so we could start off. We started approaching people for shows to see if anyone would tell us how the industry works but almost all people gave negative responses. But back in 2017, I started producing music as a solo artist as my elder brother decided to move his career into I.T. I am still not a full time musician but I really hope to be one in future!

We know you’ve worked on sample packs for companies like CR2 Records and Audentity Records. Talk to us a bit about how that opportunity came about? 

I still can’t believe I worked with such major companies with almost no experience with sample packs! I did my first pack for Audentity, as one of my friends was a middleman. It was my first income from music actually, so I got so inspired I started reaching out to companies who might need some sample packs but it was all in vain. But almost after a year I found CR2 records, mailed them my works and they really liked them and commissioned me to make packs for them.

You’ve also performed a mix for Taz Network which went live on a YouTube Charity show by SuicideSheep and nonprofit organization TWLOHA. How did you end up becoming a part of this massive online event?  

A major credit to my friends at Taz. The owner of Taz is such a nice person actually, I remember sending him my songs back in 2019 via facebook messages, he’d still check all my messages and reply to me even though it was a ‘no’. I sent him my mixes that I did for some other channels like YUYU1162 and DeepTropicalHouse and he asked me for this opportunity and I didn’t even think twice and said an instant yes. Kudos to Taz Network team for involving me in such a good cause! 

We know you’ve worked with a lot of vocalists so far. What has been your favourite collaboration to date, and what makes a good collaborator to you? 

A good collaborator for me is one who can understand your vision for a song and can help you to make a better version of the song. Almost all of the vocalists that I’ve worked with have their own specialties like John Dakolias with amazing vocal melodies that will catch your attention right away or theajsound with really great vocal execution, it’s really hard to name one.

What can fans expect from you in the immediate future?  

All I can say is I won’t disappoint you and since it’s the holiday season coming up, keep an eye out as well! 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  

I see myself representing India on the global stage, doing live shows and touring with bigger names whilst releasing tons of new music! I would never stop making music as it holds a very special place in my heart.