Interviewer: Aanchal Tekriwal (Godda, Jharkhand, India)

Editor: Pooja Vishwanathan (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

Turning stories into songs, making waves in global music.

From the hills of Assam to the vibrant music scene of Seoul, Rahul Rajkhowa has emerged as a pioneering bridge between the Indian and Korean music scenes. A singer-songwriter, history teacher, and visiting professor at IIM Ranchi, Rahul has made history with his groundbreaking EP “Six Mile to Seoul”, believed to be the first full-fledged independent collaboration between an Indian and a Korean artist with none other than Korean R&B sensation Jimmy Brown. In this interview, we talk about his cross-continental creative process, his commitment to nurturing young talent, and how a simple Instagram DM sparked a musical collaboration that’s redefining what Indo-Korean artistic partnerships can achieve.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers and share a bit about your new EP with Korean R&B artist Jimmy Brown?

My name is Rahul Rajkhowa, singer-songwriter, history teacher, and visiting professor at IIM, Ranchi. The New EP with Jimmy Brown is called ‘Six Mile to Seoul’. I believe it’s the first full-length independent EP/mini album collaboration between an Indian and a Korean artist. It features R&B, synthwave, and pop songs. 

A lot of brilliant music producers and engineers have come together to execute this project and give it an international Grammy-nominated/Platinum producer from Daytona, US – Kyduh. Indian rap legend Divine’s music producer from Assam, India – Stunnah Beatz. From South Korea, famed for making some of the most versatile music – Noden, Mix Tape Seoul. Mixed and mastered by Fauxtail from Assam, India. Written by Jimmy Brown, Azmat Ali Campwala, and me.

We heard this project began after a simple Instagram story and DM exchange. What was that first conversation like, and when did you both realise this project could grow into a full EP?

I used to have platinum blonde hair (yes, I was having a phase), and I happened to be on this flight where this kind cabin crew lady said I looked like I could be a K-pop artist. So, I just put up an Instagram story where I asked my fans which K-pop artist I should collaborate with. A lot of recommendations started pouring in, and my friend Sneha, who listens to a lot of K-pop and K-R&B artists, responded to that story by sending me Jimmy Brown’s discography.

Out of all the artists I heard that day, I could relate to his music the best. So I just sent him a DM on Instagram. Not sure if he was going to respond, cause Jimmy Brown is a very, very busy person! The man has a serious level of work ethic and is always performing live in either Europe or doing a US tour, if not in Australia or New Zealand.

He responded, saying that he really liked my music and that we should work together. What I got to learn about Jimmy over time is that he genuinely appreciates good music, it doesn’t matter how many Spotify monthly listeners or followers that person has. I had this song called Bad Girls, which I knew would go very well in Jimmy’s voice since he is phenomenal when it comes to R&B. We first recorded and released Bad Girls, which got onto the Spotify Korea Radar playlist and made it to the best songs of 2023 Spotify Korea Radar, too. It was then that we decided that we should definitely work on a full-fledged EP.

The EP took shape over 2 years, often through late-night, cross–time zone sessions. What’s been your favorite part of working together? Was there a particular breakthrough moment in the process?

We got to learn so much from Jimmy Brown. His work ethic is particularly impressive, regardless of how caught up he is. You send him a song idea with a verse, and within the week, he will send you back a fully recorded verse. He is a classic example of a high-performing artist with sincerity. Especially in terms of mixing and mastering, our young mixing engineer, Fauxtail, learned a lot from Jimmy Brown, too. He happens to be very well-versed in the science of sound engineering. Being a teacher, I absolutely love working with people that I can learn from, cause usually I am always the one teaching. 

In terms of a breakthrough, when you are working with an artist as talented as Jimmy, with the number of Spotify listeners that he has, you have to bring your A game to the table. Those were some really big shoes to fill. 

We were done with 4 songs on the EP, and then one fine evening, he said Rahul, you play the guitar, why don’t you send in a guitar instrumental, so we have some fresh flavour on the EP as well. Something really stripped down and acoustic without beats. So, I sent him a bunch of guitar pieces, and he sent me back the vocals for ‘I made it’; it was simply gorgeous.

“Six Mile to Seoul” carries both a personal touch and a sense of distance. What does “Six Mile” mean to you personally, and how does it connect with the symbol of Seoul in your life?

Six Mile is the area where I live in Guwahati. Seoul is where Jimmy lives. This EP serves as a statement to bridge the distance between the Northeast of India and Seoul, South Korea. 

K-pop and R&B music have a huge listening base in India, especially in the Northeast of India. I want this EP to serve as inspiration for a lot more artists from both of our regions to collaborate. It is undeniable that some of the finest musical talent in India comes from the Northeast as well.

The title track’s music video features three of your former students from your years of teaching history. How did that idea come about, and what was it like seeing them choreograph and perform in the video?

I saw Kaitlynn Fernandez and Mahi Rajeshkire dance at school interhouse events, and Kimaya Pundir dance during a school cultural showcase. I genuinely thought they had serious talent as prodigies, and the world deserved to see them.

In the past, I’ve gotten my students Indivar (Kiza) to rap with me on stage during one of my shows and Nikhil Sampath to play the keyboard at a music festival I was performing at. Growing up, I always looked to established artists and my Indian idols to give me a chance, but when that didn’t happen, I made a promise to myself that I would give opportunities to young talent when I make it as an artist on my own accord. 

So, I really wanted to do something for the girls before I left Bangalore, too. Hence, putting together a music video where they are the main stars seemed like the best idea. They choreographed the dance sequence for ‘Tu Meri Favourite’ in a couple of days, and now we have a music video that will remain with them forever!

Beyond Six Mile to Seoul, the EP moves through different moods and genres. Could you walk us through a few of the other songs and what inspired them?

When I had just moved into Bangalore, I had this really cute 1 BHK apartment with a beautiful view that overlooked a forest. I could see the sun rise from the horizon every morning, and it was truly gorgeous. During the evenings, I would always make it a point to stand on that balcony and write tunes. Whenever my friends came over, we’d always stand in that spacious balcony, admire the view, and have these really fun conversations.

Then, after a year and a half, my landlord said he wanted to sell the apartment to a buyer. 

I remember being really sad. When you live alone, you get really attached to spaces that you decorate. So, 4 days before I was about to vacate the house, I was jamming to a Noden beat, and I began to sing ‘I don’t deserve you, you’re too beautiful’ to the night sky view from my balcony, cause that space meant so much to me! That’s how ‘You’re too beautiful’ was actually written. It also happens to be Jimmy’s favourite song on the EP apart from ‘Tu Meri favourite’.

Jimmy is a big Chris Brown fan, and I wanted one dance song on the record that had the Chris Brown vibes in terms of production. Kyduh is an R&B specialist. His beats are phenomenal on the song. He has also produced for artists like Shahboozey and Jacqueez. 

There had to be one song on the EP that combined Hindi, Korean, and English because it hasn’t been done before. This seemed like the perfect track to do it, so I began singing ‘Tu meri favourite’ over the beat, which combines both Hindi and English. Then I requested Jimmy to do one Korean verse on the song, and he did it so effortlessly. It was beautiful seeing it all come together. Azmat, my Hindi lyricist, did a stellar job writing the Hindi verse, too. 

The project flows between Hindi, Korean, and English, alongside soul, R&B, and pop elements. How did you make sure each culture’s voice was represented authentically?

The entire key to that secret is not trying too hard. It has to be effortless. Azmat and I have been writing Hi-nglish songs since 2019, so it comes to us very naturally. I usually come up with the hooks first (a hook is the chorus of the song basically the part that is usually repeated the most and then if I needed Hindi or Urdu lyrics Azmat and I got on video call or send each other voice notes back and forth (He’s based in Dubai, so that’s how we mastered the technique of working long distance).

When Jimmy and I got in touch, he made it very easy to communicate. He is very responsive when it’s time for feedback, coordination, and sending material on time. 

If the music production is inspiring and the hook is on point, then it is not too difficult to represent your culture, voice, and feelings with authenticity. I made sure the beat selection was on point, so we were comfortable the whole time while working, and yes, being a teacher, you tend to be good at motivating to bring out the best from each individual.

Bad Girls earned you spots on Spotify Korea’s Radar and New K-Pop playlists. How did that global response feel, and were you expecting such recognition?

Oh, Bad Girls even made it to the K-pop X overs playlist on the number 5 spot, along with some really crazy artists like Jungkook, Usher, Jennie, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay, Rose, Bruno Mars, and Steve Aoki. Which is insane, I love how South Korea really appreciates good music and not just the popular metrics and analytics. It feels really good to be appreciated after years of making music, you know. None of this happened overnight. I can’t say too much right now, but lots of exciting things are on the way. 

You and Jimmy Brown are taking this collaboration on tour in India this October. What can audiences expect from the live experience?

The date is still a surprise, but oh, it’s going to be beautiful. Expect crazy visuals, some killer dance sequences, fiery guitar work, and mad energy on the live stage. Nothing like you have ever seen before out of a Korean and Indian collaboration.

Your past work spans folk-pop, hip-hop, and socially conscious music. What drives you to explore such different styles, and how do you tie them together into one artistic identity?

Ever since my school days, I have always been an all-rounder. Our school used to have a wall of achievement boards for Sports, Academics, and All-Rounders. My father told me at a very young age that he wanted to see me on the All-Rounder board. That really pushed me into expanding my horizons. So, I was debating, acting in the school annual production, running long distances, training as a competitive swimmer, organising events as the school Cultural Affairs Captain, and writing music.

Since then, I have never viewed music as a genre-based art; I write and perform what comes to me naturally at that moment. I do Music purely for the love of it. I thoroughly enjoy floating between genres and different musical styles. The legacy I want to leave behind is that when an artist someday wishes to explore out of their comfort zone, they shouldn’t feel any apprehension; they should take inspiration from the fact that Rahul Rajkhowa has done it before, so can we. 

Songs like “Lau Paani” carry strong Assamese roots. How do your cultural origins shape your storytelling when you’re writing for an international audience?

When ICONYK reached out to me to work on Toradoi for Warner Music. That changed everything. The idea of making folk music more palatable for an international audience really excited me. As a music producer, he really pushed me into this space where I could combine my culture with music that people could dance to across the world.

Toradoi won us an award at a national level, too. The next step was to start diving deeper into my roots. Lau Paani is a local alcoholic beverage made out of rice. It is really what unites the rich and the poor, the people living in urban areas and the people living in rural Assam. I thought that applies to the whole world, no? Everyone should be able to relate to something like that, no matter the language. 

Finding the right theme always makes it easier to take the voice of rural India to the world outside. Of course, my family’s deep understanding of Assamese culture also helps.

You’ve been part of Paper Boat for years now. How has playing with the band shaped your music style and creative process?

Paperboat is really when the fascination with taking my music to bigger audiences began. We started when we were in my final year of college. Directly as a competitive band, going to college festivals and competitions. We won quite a few of them, including our first one at IIT Kanpur. Stuff like that really has you motivated for life, you know? Like anything is possible.  My band taught me how to be patient, take everyone’s views into consideration, and just enjoy the process of making music.

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A post shared by Rahul Rajkhowa (@rahulrajkhowa)

After your Assam floods MV went viral, you co-founded Rajkhowa & Arya Aid, helping 2,000+ families and rebuilding schools. What drove you to take on relief work, and what’s one moment from that journey that still inspires you?

The fact that National Media wasn’t giving enough focus to the Assam floods, I had to step in and do something. My protest rap songs were making a lot of noise among National media houses, ministers, and politicians across the country. So I thought it was the best time to write a song about the plight of my people. 

India Today did an article on it that year, and a year later, Better India did an article on it with my contact details. I got a call one morning from a donor, and suddenly, with all that money in my bank account and faith placed in me from an Angel investor out of nowhere, I had to do something. So, on my mother and co-founder Himangshu Arya’s advice, we started Rajkhowa and Arya Aid. 

I think when we realised after the 5th comfort camp that we had helped over 2500 families, refurbished 4 schools, and built separate washrooms for both girls and boys in village schools.

Is there a new collaboration or project you’re currently working on that you can share with us? And what would you like to say to your fans who have been with you on this journey?

There is an Afro, Afro house, and Amapiano Album on the way with some really cool artists. Lots of exciting music with ICONYK on the way. We just dropped a new song called ‘Dola’ which mixes Bengali folk with Travis Scott vibes. 

Can’t wait to see how the fans vibe to this one!

I just want to tell the fans that I thank you for believing in me and supporting me all these years. I will make you proud. To the upcoming artists, please execute your ideas and see them to completion.

An idea or an unreleased song in your computer folder is untouched potential. Take that risk, put it out to the world, and please be consistent. Don’t be disappointed if people don’t respond to it the way you expect them to. Some of your favorite stars put out close to 100 songs a year and still consistently repeat the process. 

Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your precious time and for sharing insights about your journey. Thank you so much. On behalf of the entire team at  Hallyuism, we wish you all the best for your future endeavors. Lots of love!

We hope you all loved reading this interview as much as we loved conducting it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.