Rika’s ‘Darbar’
17-YEAR-OLD CHANDRIKA DARBARI’S SONG HAS MADE IT TO BBC RADIO ONE’S POP OF THE WEEK LIST. THIS HALF-INDIAN IS ALREADY BEING COMPARED TO ED SHEERAN AND MILEY CYRUS BY THE RADIO CHANNEL
NAYARE ALI
Her voice is fresh, youthful and gentle even if the lyrics of her song are politely defiant. We are talking about her dance pop number, which instantly resonates in your head once you hear it. Her latest English single, No Need raced up to no 82 within 10 days release, on September 22 and is still climbing up the charts on the Indian Itunes platform. The 17-year-old old Chandrika Darbari was born to a Serbian mother, Andrea and an Indian father, Ravi. The teenager, who has rechristened herself Rika, grew up in North London. The teenager, who was subjected to the horrors of bullying and racism found solace in her music, where she hits out at her perpetrators through her intense lyrics: You are so damn obsessed with the way I dress and talk, with the way I move and walk, when you shouldn’t give a… you are oh so out of line, with the way you spend your time asking what is yours versus mine, when you don’t know where I’ve been whom I’m with, what I’m doing...” They will find an instant connect with every teenager. There is an underlying sense of hurt that comes across in her raw yet powerful voice. “The song has been influenced by incidents that have happened in my past. I was bullied a lot when I was younger, for my appearance and race. That’s why it was easy for me to write this song as the words came naturally to me. It goes out to anyone who has experienced racism or have been bullied, as they will be able to relate to it,” confesses Rika. Rika has already made it to the Brit Asia Artist of the Week list and her dance pop number with R and B influence is already a rage. And it all came to her one night when Rika had trouble sleeping, “I went to my piano started playing around, came up with chords and began improvising, on it. I really like the way it sounded, developed the idea with my producer and co-produced the song in two days. I wanted it to appear youthful and colourful and yet project me in a slightly mature manner as I am still so young,” says the soft spoken teenager.
Rika, who is currently in Serbia is blissfully unaware that her song is topping the charts in Britain but she shares her delight at having made it to BBC Radio One’s new Pop of the Week. “They have placed me with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Miley Cyrus,” she excitedly reveals.
Rika comes across as a sensitive and compassionate teen who yearns for peaceful world. Last year, she wrote a song — For Peace in Syria — after seeing images of kids suffering. “In October last year I wrote that song, when I was 16. I was impacted by the graphic images of the children in Syria, who were hurt and starving. They didn’t deserve to be a part of this mess and being a teenager myself, I wanted the children to have a better life. The music video raked up over 900,000 views on YouTube in just a few months of its release.”
Rika is inspired by icons like Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson who she believes cared about music and their lyrics were soulful. “I want to write meaningful songs. Today music has become so commercial, the song doesn’t last for three minutes and pops on and off the radio,” says the tender teenager who is strongly influenced by both her Indian and Serbian cultures.
“I love the food and clothes from both countries and find that there is a lot of similarity between both cultures. I love the bright Indian outfits and have visited India several times, as my grandfather used to live in Delhi. He has passed away now,” she says.
Rika comes from a close knit family and is gratified to have supporting parents. “I’m only here today because my parents are backing me. I won’t feel complete without their support. I’m really grateful that my parents love what I am doing. My mum is my biggest fan while my dad is my best critic. I have an older brother, Chandresh, who is 19. He helped me create the video for my Syria song. We created a UNICEF account because we wanted to donate that money to charity. He is extremely supportive and wants the best for me,” says Rika who performed for the Indian community at Trafalgar Square, London as part of the Diwali celebrations. “I also performed at the Miss Serbia contest as I like to support both cultures,” she quickly adds. Rika’s sole purpose in life is to create music with a social message. “I want to connect with my audience. I’m not hankering after money because it comes with fame,” says the wise young lady, who hopes to be spread the message
peace through her music.