Life is much more than a Merry Go Round in Ridi’s latest vibrant single.

With a slew of meticulous releases in her discography, Ridi is at the top of her game. The Indian singer-songwriter brings together a myriad of influences and infuses them together on Merry Go Round, a track about persevering and personal growth. The vivacious, utterly captivating track is accompanied by a music video that shows Ridi in traditional Indian clothing against a backdrop of a gorgeous historical castle — an ode to Ridi’s heritage and a powerful stance.

1883 Magazine chats with Ridi about Merry Go Round, her passions, and more.

What was it about music that made you want to pursue it?

Just like most children, I croaked around the house for a while at the top of my lungs, having fun with the instrument nature gave me. Although thankfully (for my parents) I was enrolled in a singing academy at the age of 8 where I got classical and jazz training! That was the first time when the technical aspect of singing really intrigued me! During school, I would love to participate in musical theatre and whatever choir and singing opportunities they had! But what really made me dive into music professionally was when I faced a few hardships at the age of 15. I was being bullied for who I was and quite frankly anything I did, so being the loud person I am, I very quickly learnt to speak up for myself, however, it was to no use, since no teacher or person in power would listen or help. It felt as though it was me against the world (as for me – or any child – their school and class peers are their world.)

Soon after, I was told to leave the establishment for speaking up. That’s really when my music career started. It was a way for me to express what I was going through as a teenager, with all the pressure and anxieties that teenagers face. It’s never easy – especially when people so often hide behind social media to make hurtful comments. I dealt with this by turning to the people I am closest to and openly speaking to them about anything upsetting me, but not everyone has that, which is why I created an online community for young people to turn to when they need support.

Can you tell us a bit about your new single Merry Go Round and the inspiration behind it?

Merry Go Round means so much to me and I’ve put so much time and effort to get this right. Heartbreak, loneliness, love, joy and many more feelings, are all emotions we experience from a young age and are the same emotions we experience when we’re older as well. So, in essence, we’re all just living on a ‘merry-go-round’. We may choose to forget who we are for a while and instead explore the world around us, but in the end, we will always remember who we are inside and that no matter what, no one can ever break us. It’s so hard for me to explain the song when everything I want to say is just the song itself, it took me more than three months to fully finish the song, so explaining it in a few paragraphs is so hard for me!

What was the creative process behind the song? What was it like to write and record it?

Well, there is no defined procedure for me. The process can really start anywhere and at any time. For instance, when I’m sleeping, melodies will pop into my mind and then I will start making up little songs in my head – afraid that I will lose them. So, I wake up, whether it is 2 am or 3 am and will record them on my voice memos. However, when I actually get down to using those melodies, it can be a few days to a few months later. The song-making process is really like a puzzle to me, you have to keep all your pieces safely compiled and one day some pieces will fit perfectly together to make a song.

This is actually how I made Merry Go Round, an Indian melody popped into my mind and I had kept it for a while. A few months later, I thought the idea of a merry-go-round was really cool and the song slowly started coming together. Once the writing process is done I usually start to work with producers, which is always great. But sometimes I can go a little psychotic and can start to restart and redo the song whilst we are in the producing stage. But I guess that’s the fun and thrill of it.

Recording the song was another amazing process! I was in the studio with amazingly talented people such as Mousse.T and so was able to really learn a lot!! It was actually just my 6th time in a recording studio, so there was still a lot to learn! In any song-making process there are artistic tensions and so being able to experience them in a recording studio with those amazingly talented people was another thrill! Again, it’s hard for me to let go of something when I really have my mind to it, so of course, there is a lot of back and forth that goes into the song!

What are some artists and tracks that influenced Merry Go Round?

Oh my gosh… I’m so unsure, as I mentioned before the song-making process is really like a puzzle, so you mix and match anything and everything that you feel may work and help the song! But I would guess that really the main influences are from the artists I hear on a daily basis like Michael Jackson who is probably on all my favourite music playlists! Sam Smith is also definitely there! I feel that these artists are not only great vocalists but AMAZING songwriters, which I feel truly makes an authentic artist! When you write and sing your own songs is when you are truly painting a story! Of course, there were a ton of Bollywood influences too, I love to be cheesy and so love hearing 80s Bollywood favourites like gazab ka hai din or yeh kaali kalli ankhein.

You come from a mix of genres. Why is it important to you to not stick to just one genre or type of music?

I think it’s important to stick to what feels authentic to you. I’m still discovering myself and so don’t always know who I am or who I should be, so during the making of merry go round it was really important for me to stick to my cultures and find a balanced fusion that would truly help my song represent who I am, which is why it has such a distinctive western Bollywood mix. I was actually scared of who I was for a while. At a Western boarding school, I felt as though if I showed my Indian roots I would not ‘fit in’ so in an attempt to fit in I completely alienated a certain part of myself! This is why keeping these Indian influences was so important to me. As I grew up in and around so many cultures, my music is definitely a hybrid of different sounds, influences and identities, which you don’t often see in music. People are so keen to categorize music into ‘Indian music’, or ‘Western pop’, but my sound doesn’t neatly fit into one category. Instead, it takes a bit of all of this and blends it into something that I think is unique and musical, while carrying an important message through the lyrics that I wrote myself.

The visuals for the track are inspired by and celebrate your Indian heritage. Why was it important for you to do this?

I’ve been a fan of Indian music since I was a child, and have always loved hearing the musicality and the beats within the music. Growing up in an Indian household I was exposed to a lot of Bollywood classics. I derive inspiration from bops from the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, for Merry Go Round, I worked with a British-Indian producer to really bring out the Indian vibe. I definitely think you can hear the Indian beat and ragas in my music. We actually brought on the same production team that did the amazing video of ‘lean on’, to help bring out this Indian side. I also wanted to film in a castle location because merry-go-round is still a Western song and has my Western roots in it too.

Outside of your work as a singer, you’re studying Engineering and you’re an anti-bullying activist. You wear a lot of hats! What is it about both, and music, that makes you want to continue pursuing all three of these things? How do these things influence one another?

Stop The B is so important to me, and it’s the first anti-bullying platform by young people, for people, that I set up with my sister, Vasundhara Oswal. As much as 1 in 3 children have been bullied online, and with more time than ever spent on screens for school and social media, this problem is only set to grow. That’s why our campaign not only focuses on stopping bullying but also to stop being bystanders. We are encouraging young people to speak out and speak up when they see bullying or trolling, and to take a stand to help the people being bullied. Engineering is also very important to me! I’ve just started university in London and am so overwhelmed but truly feel in my most authentic skin!

Music, engineering and Stop The B are all very important things to me, and so having them in my life every day truly gives me purpose! Without any of them, I’d probably feel very empty and so all in all, they make me who I am. I started Stop The B after my own bullying experience and so starting this platform also gave me insight into other people’s experiences, the music felt like the perfect place to express what I was feeling and what so many other people may feel, which is why one of my favourite lines in merry go round is “sick of people telling you you’re not good enough!” Because so many people, including myself, have heard this and it’s so frustrating. As for engineering, as they all say, you can’t have a left brain working without a right!

Lastly, what can we expect next from you?

I find it so scary predicting the future because no one can really know what is to come next but presently I have loved seeing the response to Merry Go Round and how people react to this track as I have given it so much of my energy and love. I’d love to see especially how this plays out on social media and see what people think there and how they engage and respond to the track. In the near future, I actually have a lot more songs I’m releasing all with the Indian vibe mixed into them. Bitchy Bitchy Bang Bang is the next song and for now, I’ll let the title do some of the talking! Eventually, I am thinking of doing some live music projects in London, where I am studying Engineering. I am so excited to share a piece of my culture with every future song I make and release!

Merry Go Round is out now.