Parekh & Singh

Parekh & Singh
Also known as Nischay Parekh, Zap
Origin Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Genres
Years active 2011 (2011)–present
Labels Peacefrog
Associated acts The Monkey in Me
Website www.parekhandsingh.com
Members Nischay Parekh
Jivraj Singh
Past members Pedro Zappa
George Dylan

Parekh & Singh are an Indian dream pop duo from the city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The duo consists of Nischay Parekh (vocals, guitar, synths) and Jivraj Singh (drums, electronics).

History

Background

The two met as teenagers, although they had both attended La Martiniere for Boys. Parekh, who was introduced to pop music by his mother, attended classes at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, before returning to India and relocating to Kolkata to pursue a career in music and songwriting. Singh, meanwhile, was raised in a musical household; with both parents being singers and musicians that would often tour and perform in cover bands.[1] Prior to the two playing together, Parekh sang and played guitar in a self-described "experimental pop" band, The Monkey In Me. The band formed in 2009, while Parekh was still in high school.

Formation and early years (2011–2015)

Initially, the duo performed under the banner of Nischay Parekh in 2011. Although it was ostensibly Parekh's solo project, Singh was a constant collaborator and appeared alongside Parekh for photos and performances. They released an album, Ocean, independently in 2013. The album featured contributions from Singh on drums and percussion, Pedro Zappa on bass and George Matthew Dylan Varner-Hartley (AKA George Dylan) on piano and keyboards. Ocean was well-received in India, with Rolling Stone India naming it as one of the best Indian albums of the year.[2] Two singles were released from the album: "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll" and "Panda." The duo were then briefly known as Zap in 2014, before changing their name to Parekh & Singh in 2015;[3] inspired by acts such as Simon & Garfunkel and Hall & Oates.[4] By this point, bassist Zappa had moved on to other projects and keyboardist Varner-Hartley had relocated to Canada; thus officially making the project a duo again.

Ocean re-releases (2015–present)

The band re-released Ocean under their new name in October 2016 on Peacefrog, a British indie label. Parekh & Singh then re-released the single "I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll." Its music video, which was shot on a US$5000 (INR₹322324) budget, features an aesthetic influenced by the American film director Wes Anderson. It has since garnered over 900,000 views on YouTube, considered to be a significant feat for an Indian indie band.[5][6][7] Two more singles were released from the album: "Philosophize" in November 2016, and "Ghost" in May 2017.

Discography

Albums
Singles

References

  1. ↑ Vidhi Doshi (4 January 2017). "Parekh & Singh, the pop princes at the forefront of India's new wave". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "Best Of Indian Albums 2013". Rolling Stone India. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "Nischay Parekh and Jivraj Singh are now Parekh and Singh -". rollingstoneindia.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  4. ↑ Rohini Kejriwal (3 May 2016). "In conversation: Nischay Parekh on Parekh & Singh". Red Bull Music. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Vidhi Doshi. "Parekh & Singh, the pop princes at the forefront of India's new wave". The Guardian. 3 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Kolkata Dream Pop Duo Parekh & Singh Arrives Stateside With Whimsical Debut 'I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll': Exclusive Premiere". Billboard. 17 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Abhishek Sikhwal. "Parekh and Singh: The musical suits taking Indian internet by storm". Scroll.in. 16 October 2016.


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