The lack of touring and equivalent opportunities has hit the entire music, entertainment, and nightlife ecosystem hard. While some navigate a way around it and try newer things, rapper Divine has used this time to write as much as he can. “Musically and creatively, the additional time has given me perspective, which might not have been that easy to come by otherwise,” he says. So, a year after Kohinoor, his hit debut album, the musician is now all set to release his next, Punya Paap. The title track of the album was released recently. Here, Vivian Fernandes, aka Divine, talks about his new release and the future of hip-hop.
GRAZIA: You released the title track of your upcoming album a few days ago. How has the response been to it?
DIVINE: I feel the response to my first single has been quite good. I tried experimenting with my songwriting on this one and I think iLL Wayno, who produced the beat, absolutely killed it.
G: What is the thought behind the new album? How different is it from Kohinoor in terms of the core theme?
D: From a thematic perspective, Punya Paap focuses on how I’ve lived my life up to this point, some of it being virtuous and some sinful, in the most traditional ways. The reality of life is that you can be on the wrong side of the law and lead a virtuous life and vice versa – I draw parallels to that in a lot of my lyrics. Kohinoor was based more on my journey, how even a substance like coal can develop into a diamond. Musically, Punya Paap as an album will showcase a very different side of me – a more confident and experimentative songwriter.
G: How has the pandemic affected the way you think about music? What is the message you think needs to be conveyed through music?
D: I think the pandemic has made my writing flow faster than ever. With so much happening around us, it’s hard to not be affected by it. I don’t think there is one particular message that needs to be conveyed. What is always best is that an artist or a songwriter expresses what they feel strongly about.
G: Do you think desi hip-hop’s best is yet to come?
Divine: I definitely think so. The last few years have been good with the movement growing in different pockets. Hopefully, as the supporting ecosystem grows around it, the movement becomes a force for a prolonged period. More than anything else, I’d love to see more girls be involved in the movement – as artists, MCs, producers, or even on the business side.
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