satisfied: the artist behind the record
4 min
Hey everyone, it’s Rupsha! I’m thrilled to announce that our 2023 Fellowship winner, Daivik Dinesh, has officially completed the program and released his song Satisfied! Born in Mumbai, brought up in Oman, and currently in California, Daivik is our resident ‘Mr. Worldwide’. He began learning Indian classical music at a young age and continued to be musically involved, picking up instruments such as guitar and serving as the president of two acapella groups at UC Davis: Jhankaar and Afterglow.
Since graduating in 2019, Daivik still lives in Davis, California, and is employed full-time as a software developer for a tech consulting firm while simultaneously pursuing a music career.
I had so much fun talking to Daivik. I was surprised to find we have so much in common — from learning Hindustani classical singing at a young age, to loving a lot of the same artists. It’s been so special to be a part of Daivik’s process of creating this record and I’m happy I got to sit down with him to learn more about him and his process of making the record. I hope you enjoy listening to his story as I did (full video below)!
Can you describe your song to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?
For someone who hasn't heard it, lyrically it's a very positive take on longing for the kind of love where the person makes you feel complete and checks all your boxes off and it just finally makes you feel whole again.
Musically I would say it was inspired by a lot of the retro stuff that I grew up listening to, and some artists I really look up to that I was heavily listening to and contributed to my headspace when I was songwriting. So I would say like Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, especially them in Silk Sonic with their latest album. I was also inspired by a lot of older music too like CHIC and some Funk Legends. I really enjoy what they did for music and that inspired me to write ‘Satisfied’.
It’s a flirty, carefree, and feel-good pop record at the end of the day. I want people to have fun and dance while listening to it. I truly believe that music is just about making people feel, whether it's feeling good, whether it's feeling happy, feeling sad, it's just about what vibe it creates and what people can resonate with and I really hope it evokes those emotions in my listeners.
SatisFAST facts:
Favorite album of all time: Wayyy too tough to answer this, but a good one that I’ll never get tired of listening to is An Evening with Silk Sonic by Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak
Song that heals your soul: “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” by Tears for Fears and “Maula Mere Maula” (Anwar) by Roop Kumar Rathod
An artist you’d love to collab with: Almost impossible to name only a few but if I had to, I’d pick…Ryan Tedder, Timbaland, Dua Lipa, and Vishal-Shekhar!
Favorite film soundtrack: Depends on my mood really. Some days I’m in the mood for something like “Time” (Inception) by Hans Zimmer other days I want to listen to “Test Drive” (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell
Music hot take: Pop is the best genre, fight me 😤
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Stay well, shine bright.
~Rupsha