Private Blizzard: Dhruv On Writing His Debut Album And Meeting SB19’s Justin

From the loneliest of pursuits can emerge the most authentic of artistic results. Just ask Dhruv.

Initially achieving unprecedented global success and recognition thanks to his debut single from 2019, “double take,” Dhruv has gone on to further transfigure and refine his musicianship while staying true to his most true self over the years. And now, after a long journey of discovering and rediscovering himself, the London-born hitmaker is finally ready to unveil the culmination of both his personal and artistic growth: his debut album Private Blizzard.

Out today (August 23), Private Blizzard sees a mature shift in tone and songwriting for Dhruv, having gained new, much-needed perspectives while writing this very personal body of work — one that is born out of what he describes as a certain kind of loneliness that comes from being an artist.

What results is an album that somewhat seamlessly mirrors the changing seasons — from the dark harshness of winter to the eventual, hope-filled radiance of spring. It ultimately serves to provide a peek into Dhruv’s most personal and vulnerable sides whilst finding sounds that builds upon his strengths as a songwriter and taking them even further, especially in a live setting.

With this, Billboard Philippines caught up with Dhruv at a special listening party in Manila for Private Blizzard ahead of its release. There, we talked about his process of bringing the debut album to life, dealing with loneliness as an artist, sharing the stage with SB19’s Justin the day prior, and more.

Billboard Philippines: Hi Dhruv! Welcome back to the Philippines and congratulations on the upcoming release of Private Blizzard! How does it feel to finally be coming out with your debut album?

Dhruv: It feels like such a long time coming. I know this to be true of many artists but the debut album, specifically, the pressure around it, also, the dream of making it, it’s one that you kind of have, since the start of your career. Obviously, I’ve been writing music for such a long time and to be able to finally say that I have a full-length album coming out is gonna be really great.

You’ve mentioned before that you wrote a lot of the songs on Private Blizzard “outside the studio,” which includes “on public transport, in coffee shops and parks,” with you stating that the contrast of you “working on a really intense, sad song amid a backdrop of neighbors exchanging recipes and talking about simple life things was a funny one.” From this unique experience, what would you say is the most important lesson you’ve learned that has impacted the way you approach songwriting moving forward?

It’s just that there’s no one way for a song to come to life. It’s to be open to whatever the universe is kind of asking for.  

With this specific album, I drew so much inspiration from the outside world, of course. But it was a mix. Like, the way ideas would come to me when I was in these coffee shops. There were also some ideas that came to me in studios. 

I think just being more open-minded to it. When you’re really in the music industry, people will try and convince you that, “You have to be doing a session a day.”

Like, “you have to do this or that.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah! “You have to be doing a session with the producer each day and make a bunch of songs, then pick the best ones.” [But] there’s no set way of [doing] it. And I found that being out in the world, at least made me feel like I had a stake in my career. It wasn’t just subject to this routine. It felt like, “Okay, so this is more natural.” It gave me an open mind.

Would you say that you immediately embraced that kind of mindset?

Initially, I went through a process of, like, “Oh, the record label or the business entity is saying I have to be in the studio everyday. I have to be doing it a certain way.” Initially, I was like, “Oh, they probably know better.” But then I ultimately realized that my relationship with music, with songwriting predates any of this. I’ve been writing music for such a long time that I know myself well, I know what works for me. Of course, there are times where I have to be challenged but I don’t think it means completely switching your process.

Would you say you’ve found a balance between them?

Yeah, for sure! Ultimately, I needed to take a little bit of time to reconnect with myself and I had to go back to my house and make music the way I knew how. But then, only just to remember why I loved it so much in the first place.

You’ve also mentioned before that “being an artist is amazing, but it can definitely be a lonely pursuit.” In fact, you’ve stated that the songs on Private Blizzard were born from a place of loneliness you’ve dealt with because you have “never been rooted anywhere” and have felt like a “stranger” upon moving from city to city. For fellow artists who might be feeling or dealing with the same kind of loneliness, what advice would you give them?

I would say that connecting with other artists is a good thing. I found that chatting with artists, you know, speaking to them on the regular, making an effort to foster a sense of community within your music thing is really important. 

Because it’s such a strange experience that not exactly a lot of people in your life might necessarily relate to. So, having people who might understand what that might be like — you know, traveling so much, not really being at home, moving from place to place — having people like that can be really helpful. 

Also, just checking with people who really love you and really care about you. Even when I was in Nashville, I didn’t really know anybody there, barring the producer I was working with. So, I made a point of calling my friends from home much more and I made a routine out of it. So even at times where I didn’t necessarily feel like talking to anybody, I would find myself feeling a lot better after speaking to them anyway. 

So, it’s kind of like trying to build a routine out of it but also, connecting with other artists and trying to build a sense of community.

Indeed, that kind of routine, it’s a form of discipline that can make you feel less lonely.

It definitely is discipline because there are times where you are normally not gonna wanna do it even if it’s better for you. I found that, like, when I finished at the studio at 7 PM, I would call my parents and say, “Hi,” to them, check in, and it was easy enough to do.

It’s no secret that your music has become quite a hit here in the Philippines. Because of this, we are curious — who are your favorite Filipino artists? If given the chance, who among them would you love to collaborate with and why?

Good question! There are a few. Last year, I got to meet up with Ben&Ben, two members of the group, they were both lovely. They were showing me videos that they had filmed. I think they had done a live video in their hometown and it’s like the musicality around the set that they do is so amazing.

Another one: I just met Justin from SB19 as well. He’s an artist who only has a couple of songs out but he’s such a phenomenally talented person. To me, collaboration is all about chemistry and whether you and the [other] person align. I found that just from the experience of meeting him and chatting with him, he was just a lovely person and somebody I can genuinely be friends with, and so, he’s someone I can collaborate with.

Speaking of that, for your return to the Manila stage, you just held a special show with Justin yesterday. What was it like meeting and sharing the stage with him?

So fun! Obviously, everything came together very quickly because I had just landed in Manila the night before. But he was so diligent. He practiced [“double take”] in advance of us meeting. So that, by the time we started singing, he knew his part and made it really easy. It didn’t feel forced at all. It felt like he was a natural collaborator on the song.

We caught up a little bit, before and after [the show and] asked him about his experiences being in his band; he had questions for me as well. It was a very natural fit and I hope the next time I’m here, I get to hang out with him outside of just doing music.

In relation to the last question, any memorable moments from the show? How did it make you feel meeting your Filipino fans again at the show? 

It was so lovely! Every time I’m here, I’m overwhelmed by the amount of warmth and the care. The Filipino listeners genuinely love music which is the best part about the whole experience. Like, people here are just reacting to the music in a way that feels so genuine. It makes performing fun. It doesn’t feel like I’m performing in front of people. It feels like we’re all here enjoying the experience.

It’s very reciprocal!

A hundred percent! I felt that [when I] performed here last year; [I] felt it again this year. It’s just a great place to come and to sing.

That being said, any special message you might have for your Filipino fans then?

I would like to say, from deep within me, thank you so much for this career. So much of my career took off because of you guys’ support of the music, specifically, “double take,” of course, but every time I’m here, I’m reminded of why I do music and why I perform live. For that, I owe you the biggest thanks. Thank you so much!

Lastly, alongside the forthcoming release of Private Blizzard, what else can we expect from you in the near future?

I’m touring Europe in September which should be really fun. I’m touring the US at the start of next year. I’m hoping to be back in Asia sort of towards this time next year, middle of next year. It will be really fun!

Listen to Dhruv’s Private Blizzard below:

[SPOTIFY LINK]