I have always been real, can’t put on a fake persona to be successful: Darshan Raval

At just 18, he became a popular name on the campus and his cover versions of popular romantic Bollywood numbers got massive hits online, earning him a lot of female attention. Soon, Darshan Raval was living his dream by performing on , a music reality show that made him a singing sensation overnight. His meteoric rise from a starry-eyed kid to a star singer is nothing short of a fairytale and today, his fans eagerly wait for his singles that usually get him a million hits in a day.While he loves the attention, he is a firm believer that fame and money are temporary and good work is eternal. Darshan, who has put his heart and soul into his music, wants to stay grounded while his soulful voice touches the sky.

I have always believed that your fame is only half yours, the rest is because of people who listen to you. If my fans didn’t bother to listen to my songs or attend my concerts, I wouldn’t be here today. I never let myself forget that. There are several artistes who take the credit for their success, but I feel that my fans have made me who I am. Even when I just started making music and cover videos, I had immense support from people around me and it encouraged me to create better music. And even today, these people make my songs such big hits.

I was just 18 when my songs started becoming popular and within a couple of years, I had a fan base and my songs did really well online. Fame at such a young age can sweep you off your feet, but the people around me kept me grounded. They always told me that my music is bigger than me, I should be who I am and not become a star in my head. Of course, there were situations when I had to put on a mask, become a ‘star’ but it suffocated me. I can’t be someone who I am not. I can’t pretend.

When my songs started doing well, I made good money. But I invested it in making more music because my music gave me that money. And the better music I created, the more I earned. But I still have a very simple lifestyle, the same set of friends and even though I have made good financial decisions and invested smartly, I want to use a major part of my earnings in creating great music and engaging music videos. This is where I have earned all the money from, and this is where I want to invest it.

I keep my personal life and the closest people around me very guarded from public scrutiny. I am a public figure and today, everyone has an opinion and people comment on just about anything on social media. While they have the right to say whatever they wish about me, I don’t want them to talk about people who are close to me-they aren’t used to it. So, I make sure that I don’t let my personal life become public beyond a point. 90 per cent of my life is dedicated to my fans, but the rest 10 per cent is mine alone.

I don’t want unwanted attention for people in my innermost circle. So, if I was dating someone, I would make it public only if the girl is comfortable. Until then, it would be a guessing game for everyone.