Druv Kent finds his musical quorum full in Mumbai

A WhatsApp message from Singapore, followed by a link for organizing a self-invitation to his exclusive performance at The Quorum on October 25, 2025, singer-songwriter Druv Kent flew into the country for two back-to-back gigs, first encompassing Gurugram and then this final one in Mumbai.

Druv Kent

The maze of finding the huge and elegantly presented venue at the city’s new business hub at Lower Parel, eventually culminated with the description of amaze, which is what Druv, with his motley crew of Mumbai-based musicians provided to the audience comprised mostly of Quorum members – corporate senior management types in their 40s or early 50s, accompanied by their spouses – who appeared  accessible and approachable, much like the music featured.

In commencing his set at 9.15pm – with the appropriately self-composed “Back Home” – that ran for almost two hours, the quiet and polite crowd finally showcased their true colours as Druv shifted gears from performing largely his originals to deciding on a rendition of a song by “one of his gurus”, Peter Gabriel, with “Sledgehammer”. In fact, this was the first time that this writer heard the song being performed live since hearing the original guru performing the song at 1988’s Human Rights Now concert at New Delhi. Thereafter, the setlist was largely followed by Hindi (film) songs that pulled the crowd onto the dance floor, who then remained floored with the non-stop repertoire being churned out until the end.

Covers ran through Maroon 5, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bryan Adams, Neil Diamond, and the Wilson Picket popularised, riff-driven “Mustang Sally” that provided each of the band’s instrumentalists an opportunity of showcasing their respective talents, especially guitarist Milton who certainly deserves a mention here.

But the true talent that was the underlying theme of the evening’s partying was Druv’s very own compositions, such as his offer of optimism and resilience in the face of scaling adversity by providing “Hope”, and his song about faith and goodness in “A Little Bit Of God”. Whereas Druv’s 2019 Hindi song, “Hindustan Meri Jaan”, which Druv has described as “a song to the country of my birth – India – and still defining who I am every day” is ranked among the ‘Top 10’ patriotic Indian songs of all time by veteran music journalist and Sudeep Audio supporter, Narendra Kusnur, who was also present at the gig.

Druv’s sheer confidence as a master craftsman at work, with each song performed with a brief introduction along Druv’s wicked sense of humour, cruised through a multitude of harmonies, as required, as his superbly produced pop compositions were ably supported by lyrics that cut across a civilization that he is observing.

Druv deservedly won the ‘Best Live Performer’ award at the Hungama-organized Indian Independent Music Awards in 2022 and, for those not aware of his roots, he was born and raised in Kolkata, went to a boarding school in Dehradun, and attended college in the U.S. As a child, Druv trained in Hindustani vocals and tabla; however, Druv was always ’ears ahead while listening to Western sounds and that may just have been that one reason based on which Druv decided to move to Singapore, eventually shifting gears from a career in investment banking to investing in music.

The live performance at The Quorum only reiterated Druv’s inherent strength of combining infectious melody with his personal lyrics – supported by his distinctive vocals – knowing how to turn his highly personal observations into contemporary pop for a millennial audience but, at the same time, without deserting listeners of his age group (or older) where vibes matter as much as hooks. No doubt, Druv is certainly one Kent who is on his way to becoming a musical superhero…