Inspired by early 2000’s and modern day Hip Hop, Indian Artist and Producer Varun Venu, under the artist name Veynu, has set out to create a new sound. Blending pop melodies with hip hop beats and his amazing rapping style, he is constantly pushing the edge of what the Prap (pop/rap) genre could become. In his upcoming album “Time to Win”, he proudly shows off his hip hop roots, while also bringing the sound to new heights, and bringing an Indian influence, blending genres to create a sound all his own.
Veynu is currently working on this 10 track album, in which he blends bass and drums reminiscent of early aughts rap, with harmonized pop melodies. “The drive for writing this album was where I am and looking towards where I want to be. It is my way of telling the world, ‘Hey, Look! I’m here,’” he explained. From hard hitting hip hop beats in songs like “Straight to the Top” to the more melody focused tracks such as “You Bad,” Veynu is showcasing a wide array of sounds.
Having grown up with Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronic music being played around all the time, he was heavily influenced by a variety of music, from the top charting radio hits to the underground Hip Hop scene. Artists like Eminem, Chris Brown, and Drake have all influenced him. At the same time, pop music, like the Weeknd, drew him in, bringing out a side to him he had never really experimented with before. He has always been a massive fan of television and film music as well. All of these different influences came together to create the unbelievable genre mesh that is Veynu.
On a more serious note, Veynu has always wanted to be the first Indian Artist and Producer to chart on the top of the American Billboards Top 40 chart. “I want to rise up. To become a voice for those like me. To prove that I can do this.” He uses his platform as a way to combat modern societal atrocities, such as xenophobia and racism against East Asian Indians and Indian Americans, as well as to showcase how much hip hop has influenced the Indian music community. “I’m just an example. There are hundreds of Indian hip hop artists. It’s everywhere amongst the youth in our culture, and it's not going away.” A strong believer in true equality, Veynu makes use of his platform to fight for those beliefs which he holds most dear.
Making music has been a part of Veynu’s life for years. To him, it is a creative outlet with no equal. “It draws this energy and emotion out of you that just can’t be replicated through any other media.” Growing up, there was a lack of interest, at least in the beginning, in western culture, specifically hip hop and other western music genres. “I feel like I got a head start. By the time other people were getting into it, I’d been listening to hip hop for nearly a decade.” Youtube in particular was a new thing, that allowed him access to droves of new music, and other content, that he would never have otherwise had access to. Through this, he absorbed as much as he possibly could about hip hop, bringing it into his own cultural identity, incorporating it all into his sound. Even a full time college education couldn’t slow him down. He dropped three singles from 2018 to 2019, which did well in his Hometown of Bangalore, India. In particular, his song “Straight to the Top,” the lead single, has 10,000 views on Youtube. Varun later moved to Los Angeles, California in 2019 to explore more about himself as an artist. He has since studied at Musicians Institute, in Los Angeles, California.
All of these experiences, influences and inspirations have led Veynu to create a sound true to him, a mix of modern day melodic pop with the aggressive hip hop music of the near past. Be sure to be on the lookout for this new release. It’s not one you’re going to want to miss.