“Million Ways” makes musician Druv Kent’s sound go acoustic
After a guest appearance of sorts at this year’s All About Music conference, intriguingly as part of the U.K. delegation for Singapore-based Druv Kent, he is back at what he does best: creating music.
On 18th November 2022, Kent will release a new single, “Million Ways”, simultaneously with his five-song EP, ‘Love in F#’, titled similarly to French musician Marc Cerrone’s hit from 1976, “Love in C Minor”.
Supported by a bed of supple R&B harmonies, and a hint of Kent’s signature acoustic guitar, “Million Ways” never chooses a winding path, thanks to Kent’s inherent strength with his melody and his lyrics,
Tony Malm
opting for the straightest course and, yet, knowing how to turn his highly personal observations into contemporary pop for a millennial audience where the vibe matters as much as hooks. On “Million Ways”, Kent’s melodies are soft, yet insistent, and the production of Kent’s partner in musical crime, Tony Roberth Johansson Malm, a Swedish songwriter and music producer who has worked with Eric Saade, Emma Andersson, Lambretta, and Lutricia McNeal, has also helped Kent flesh out his music composition, lyrics, programming, mix, and even on backing vocals!
Recorded at Bagpipe Studios, Sweden, and mastered by George Shilling at Bank Cottage Studios, UK, Tony Malm ensures that the acoustic sound of “Million Ways” is supported with rhythmic beats, which have been aptly borrowed from younger, hipper artists who have mined a similar blend of retro new wave and modern R&B but, at the same time, knowing how to turn the stylish sound of Kent’s “Million Ways” into something cozy and reassuring.
While Kent has won the ‘Best Live Performer’ award at the Hungama-organized Indian Independent Music Awards, held on March 25 this year, for those not aware of his discography, the four album, 18-single veteran Druv Kent was born and raised in Kolkata, went to boarding school in Dehradun, and attended college in the U.S. As a child, Kent trained in Hindustani vocals, drums, and tabla; however, Kent was always ’ears ahead in his listening of Western sounds. “My heart was in vocals and percussion,” reminisces Kent, “but I played guitar and keyboards more as compositional tools rather than for performing purposes”. In 2012, Druv sang for a Bollywood song with Agnee, the Pune-based Hindi rock band, on “Paa Paraa Paa” from the soundtrack of ‘Aalaap’.
Kent has also performed with the Shillong Chamber Choir, scored #1 hits on the World Indie Music Chart – which is powered by Digital Radio Tracker, and features a chart comprising of hundreds of radio stations across the world wherein, each week, all artiste “spins” are collected and tabulated to compile a ‘Top 100’ – headlined the Asia Television Awards, won the IIMA Best Live Performance – Male award, and has performed at various festivals, including headlining the 2019 Kasauli Lit Fest. Apart from music, Kent had an interest in strategic and financial consulting, culminating in Kent becoming an investment banker in Singapore, a city where he currently resides.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Druv Kent is presently working on collaborations encompassing Bollywood and Nashville, while fronting his own band.
