Issue 11 / Raghav, Nelly And Abhishek Bachchan Musically Spread Light Until The Sun Comes Up, Literally

by Paulomi Patel

Raghav, Nelly And Abhishek Bachchan Musically Spread Light Until The Sun Comes Up, Literally

Aug 17, 2015

Raghav joins forces with Abhishek Bachchan and Nelly for newest single.

Like us, if you’re agonizing over this gorgeous summer weather going by too fast, then Raghav’s latest single, “Until The Sun Comes Up ,” is one sure way to hold on to that glorious, warm, summery vibe. What’s more? The song also addresses a good cause.

With cheerful lyrics, the kind that express the idea of joyful abandon according to the Calgary-born musician, the single features Grammy award-winning American rap artist Nelly and its bonus version has Abhishek Bachchan crooning right alongside Raghav and Nelly.

^{Juno nominee Raghav is all set to spread awareness on the lack of electricity in Africa with his latest video.}
^{Photo Credit: Jeth Weinrich}

Not new to collaborating, Raghav’s multiple top-selling hits include his 2012 song "So Much" which featured Kardinal Offishall and earned him a Juno nomination. In Bollywood, he famously joined forces with the legendary AR Rahman and playback singer Shilpa Rao to create “Ishq Shava” from the 2012 Bollywood hit Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

However, this time around, this collaboration holds a special meaning. According to a declaration by the United Nations, this is the International Year of Light. It’s an initiative to create awareness about bringing light to areas that have none. When Raghav heard about the initiative, it touched a chord. He’d just finished penning “Until The Sun Comes Up” and decided to use the track to drive awareness about the issue.

The Juno nominee started by teaming up with Solaraid.org, an international NGO working towards bringing solar lights to Africa’s remote villages that lack electricity and use hazardous kerosene lamps for lighting instead.

To support the organization’s efforts, Raghav purchased and personally distributed over 300 solar lights to help the students in rural Tanzania study an extra 375,000 hours. “It was heartwarming,” he says speaking of the experience. “The lights help bring much needed support to families. The kids can now read into the night, study longer and hopefully reach a little higher and dream a bit bigger.”

Additionally, thanks to the new lights, their families won’t need to purchase kerosene or candles any longer, meaning this saves them a further $60,000 CDN per light.

Next, Raghav proceeded to shoot the video for “Until The Sun Comes Up” featuring these school children using the solar lights. The powerful video, recently released, highlights the cause with much impact.

“This organization (Solaraid.org) will always have my support. 1.3 billion people have no electricity. I hope that number is zero by the time I’m 40,” says the 34-year-old.

Meanwhile, “Until The Sun Comes Up” has already reached almost a million views on YouTube — the track, without the video, was released last month. It’s also become one of the most popular songs on Canadian radio.

So what brought about this star partnership? Turns out that once he penned the single, Raghav felt it was equal parts Bollywood, pop and country.

“Until The Sun Comes Up” is special because of the three of us coming together,” says Raghav. “Nelly virtually invented the genre of country hip-hop. When I hear the song now, it truly feels like it was written for him. As for Abhishek, he’s a legend… He’s so talented! I feel like on one hand the track’s classic Nelly, while on the other, Abhishek’s voice is clearly distinguishable to anyone who has even the slightest knowledge about Bollywood.”

^{Abhishek Bachchan

Photo Credit: Rohan Shrestha}

The track is Abhishek’s latest attempt at rapping after belting out the popular 2005 hit, “Right Here…Right Now” in the rom-com Bluffmaster. As well, more recently he took the mic to rap in the 2011 movie Dum Maro Dum.

For Raghav, the experience of recording with Bachchan was, as he puts it, simply unreal. “Abhishek’s knowledge of music is out of this world and his skills on the mix are genuine. The best part was discussing his musical influences and what he listens to…I have no doubt that if he wanted to, he could totally be a successful musician!”

When asked if there are any challenges in collaborating with such celebrity artists, he says that there can be challenges for sure. “The persona we see is rarely the person we do business with. However, I can say that Abhishek is as honest, funny, kind and professional as I’ve seen him on camera. He’s undoubtedly a legend.”

^{American rapper Nelly

_{Photo Credit: Keystone Press Agency}}

Main Image Photo Credit:
It’s clear the charitable connection with this single resonates with Nelly. “Any collaboration is about the artist and the song. I’m very happy to be part of this because not only do I believe in both, but I also support the social awareness that Raghav is trying to bring to an under reported issue,” he notes.

“Simple things such as having some light can bring so much joy where there’s none,” Raghav says describing how he’s doing his part to make a difference in this International Year of Light. “The repulsive disparity I’ve come across between the rich and poor during my travels makes me sick. Light, water and clean sewage should not be an issue for anyone, but it is. So, I decided to do something to fix this very fixable problem.”

^{Main image photo credit: GSN Photos (Raghav); Rohan Shrestha (Abhishek Bachchan)}