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Photo: Stefan Kohli

As brat summer comes to a close, breakout multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Dhurv captivates listeners with the release of his debut album Private Blizzard. The album, titled after a personal experience of feeling overwhelmed by a storm of emotions, is a stunning, tumultuous 12-track collection. It delves into themes of personal development, grief, and loneliness, combining reflective lyrics with a blend of traditional and modern sounds, influenced by artists such as Bon Iver and Frank Ocean.

Produced by JT Daly, Dhruv's debut effort is a versatile body of art that reflects the entire spectrum of emotions the rising artist experienced during the recording process. Dhruv's focus on expanding his vocal range allowed him to convey his shifting emotions with noted depth and nuance. His collaboration with Daly resulted in a sound that seamlessly blends traditional live components with a contemporary vibe, making this album a captivating and versatile listening experience. 

Ones To Watch had the chance to chat further with Dhruv about the album, the recording process, and get his advice on navigating your own "private blizzard." 

Ones To Watch: It's been a few months now since you played Head in The Clouds. What have you been up to in your music and personal life since then, and how have you been preparing for the release of Private Blizzard?

I've been so busy. Since Head in The Clouds, I had a couple more stops on that tour, so I finished that and then started traveling for press. The other day, I played at a festival in London and opened for Stray Kids, which was really fun. I'm just about to go to Asia for this promotional run, then come back to the States briefly, and then go to Europe for another support slot on a tour. It's all been really fun, but obviously, it's just been hectic in the lead-up to this album's coming out.

Is there any particular song that hasn't been released yet that you're most excited to share with the world?

I'm excited for "Daggers" to come out and "One and Only." "One and Only" because I think the songs I've been putting out so far have been kind of more depressing, but this song is a more positive and uplifting note. With "Daggers," it's because it's such a long song, and I think it has such an arc. It feels weird that it's just a song, considering the journey it goes through.

This whole album is a giant journey that kind of glimpses into the life of Dhruv. It feels like you touch on so many personal things, from mental health to your own experiences of just existing, but then end it on "One and Only," which feels like no matter what you go through in life, there's still always hope. Was that an intentional story arc you wanted the album to go through?

Definitely. The album starts with the song "Ode to Boredom," which is like it's on a train, waiting at a train station and feeling weighed down by the mundane aspects of life. I think "One and Only" is interesting because the vehicle of that song is still a train. It's like, you're going, you're on your way to tell somebody that you want to be with them, and I think it that perspective shift of like, you know, materially, environmentally, like, things are maybe the same, but it's this, like, very different perspective on life. So, I think it was intentional. I wanted to come back to the initial song, and I also believe that by just writing the music, I felt lighter and more optimistic, and it felt like a natural song to close the album.

When writing songs with more emotional weight, do you find that more challenging than writing happier songs? Or do you feel like it's the opposite?

I was so used to writing love songs that I would classify love songs as happier ones. My last project was about my first relationship, moving abroad, and the novelty of the experience, which was so natural to me. So this gear shift of writing songs about emotions that I haven't previously explored—heartbreak, numbness, being in your 20s, and feeling very existential at times. That was a challenge coming from writing about love and feeling optimistic about the world. So that felt like a challenge, but by the end of it, it was all just writing from my personal life, and I think because I was writing what I knew, it ended up feeling more natural. But I was waiting to kind of fall in love again to make this album, which didn't end up happening so.

I'm sure that you're incredibly proud of this body of work, but when you listen back to it, do you feel that there's one particular moment where you're just like, "Damn, I can't believe I created that. I can't believe I wrote that?"

I mean, admittedly, there are moments when you make something that you're like, "Oh my god, this is like, so good.", but then they're also the sort of that are the complete opposite, where you're like, "Am I crazy? Like, is this a joke? Are people going to find this laughable?" So I think it's always a mix of both: feeling proud of it and extremely scared that people will hear it. So I find that with every song on the album, I had a moment of like, "Yeah, this is amazing, or this is great," or conversely, being really doubtful of it.

Are there particular moments that sparked those feelings of fear and doubt and, vice versa, excitement?

I think the opening track feels like, "Is this good, or is this just this trying to be something that it isn't?" I think the opening track is just so weird in terms of its meter and the song. It's not an obvious one you would replay, but it also serves a purpose. That one has been like, "This is the best thing," and then the other ten moments are like, "Oh my god, this is like an embarrassing opener because people aren't going to get it." So I would say that one.

How do you navigate any artistic intrusive thoughts? Also, how have you been touring, promoting, biding your time, and centering yourself during such a busy lead-up to this release?

Both are really good questions. The answer is similar to both questions. I surround myself with people who are just so removed from my situation in some ways. Like my friends who don't have anything to do with music, you know? I think people who don't have anything to do with music and my family are just very grounding in general. They remind me that the success of something, like the commercial success of something, doesn't necessarily mean it could have been better or productive and wasn't needed for you to do. So that's always helpful. I think another useful thing for me to remember is, with my first project, the success of it was so random and happened so many years after it came out, or the first song, at least, and so I think it's just reminding myself of the fact that music finds people when it needs to, and it's not always instant. So I think that's been a reassuring thought for me because we exist in a time when everything feels like it has to be instant. So those kinds of comforting things have made me feel better about everything.

Talking about the later days of making this record. Some songs come super quickly, and others take months to write. How do you deal with it when you feel like there's any creative block? 

It's an experience I've had. I've had it a lot at the beginning of this process because, as I said, my first project was successful, and I felt the pressure of just creating things and convincing people that it wasn't a fluke. Whatever it might be, all these thoughts got into my head. As far as how I navigated that block, one is remembering why you make music, remembering why you started making it, which, for me, in my case, is for myself, right? And feeling like I need to do it. So that was important to remind myself that, yes, people hear my music, and I'm a professional musician, but at the end of the day, I have such a deep and long relationship with music that precedes all of this. Secondly, I'm a big believer in showing up every day for the creativity thing, and there were days at the beginning when it was hard to access, but I felt like the more I showed up, the more things started coming to me. That's kind of always been my way, where I try, and obviously, sometimes it's within a day; if you feel like you're trying too hard, you can easily switch off and put that to the side and take a breather and stuff. But I always find that in the long run, it's good to keep trying and showing up and trying things a new way if they aren't working out the first time.

What does the term "private blizzard" mean to you, and how does that show itself in the landscape of the record? 

For the first question, it's called Private Blizzard for a few reasons, the first being that it's precisely what you described. It's like being in your mess, and for me, making this album was unraveling that mess and figuring out why I was feeling the way I was feeling. Also, I really like the contrast between the private being and the intimate style of songwriting, with the blizzard being how big and messy the album sounds at times and how many instruments are on it. It felt like a good description of the contrast and what it sounded like. It's also like an album that's very much on the fall-winter vibe, and I think the blizzard feels fitting.

Do you have any advice for listeners, fans, or people who have stumbled upon this record on navigating their own private blizzard?

As far as people who are within their own private blizzard, I guess the one regret I have is that sometimes I'm just a bit too in it, and I don't step outside of it enough and enjoy the now I'm just very caught up in things. So that's my advice, find a way to enjoy the present moment and step outside of that blizzard from time to time. Sometimes you can't, but step out of it when you can and enjoy the moment.

We're more than halfway through the year now, so what are you hoping to experience as an artist and as a person throughout the rest of 2024?

Well, I hope that people will get to hear it, and I hope that I get to play it a lot. As I said, the album was so live, so many outstanding live instrumentalists came together to make music on this thing, and it's an album that, by design, is alive and is for a live environment and a live show. I'm thinking a lot about next year and being able to play this album with its different live components and get to, hopefully, do it across the world, and not just in one region.

What would be your dream live situation? Where are you, who's supporting you? 

I like the outdoor theater vibe in general. I've seen these like European amphitheaters, and honestly, some of them look historical; they look like they're some historic, Coliseum-type thing. So that's where I see the ideal thing being. I also see it being a big band, so you have your trumpets, and then I see there being like other specific players, there's a quite a bunch of flute on this album, and other random stuff, then, of course, there's a staple band. As far as far as an opener, I don't know. It would be cool to have some instrumental opener or something, something a little strange for that kind of show, but I would love to do that kind of vibe. I love an outdoor stage. I guess not on a day when it's raining.

That wouldn't be ideal.

And not on the day of a blizzard or something.

That would be on theme, though.

That was one of the funniest things actually about making the album. It was the last week we were making it, in Nashville, of all places, and there was such an intense blizzard. It was wild because Nashville doesn't get that much snow in general, but we got snowed in, and I couldn't go to the studio because the roads were too icy. It was like the public manifestation of the record.

It sounds like a full circle, art imitating life moment.

Yeah, it was weird.

At Ones To Watch, we are all about artists and supporting artists, so I wanted to ask who inspires you? 

I am obviously on the on the Chappell Roan train. Her album is so good. It's one of the best debut albums I've ever heard and my favorite album of the year. So, yeah, she's killing it. I am a massive fan, and it's cool because I heard her... what was it... "Pink Pony Club." However, many years ago, I thought it was an excellent song but then completely lost track of her career, and then, obviously, recently, everything has, like, times by a million. So she's fantastic, a huge fan. Who else have I been loving? I have to say, Charli xcx. I've been listening to BRAT a lot.

Have you been having a brat summer?

I'm kind of having a brat summer. When I'm in one place and have enough time in that one place, then I'll have my brat summer for sure.

Do you have anything you want to say to the people reading this article right now?

Thank you doesn't even feel like it covers it, but I appreciate anybody who's listened to anything I've made, and it's an honor if a song of mine has soundtracked your life in any way. Genuinely. This album is so different from the last one, but I hope you enjoy it.

Dhruv's Private Blizzard is out now.