Since his 2016 debut single “Feel Good Song” went viral within days of release, singer-songwriter Vardaan Arora has been releasing a steady stream of addictively, danceable pop tunes. Based in New York by way of New Delhi, Arora’s upfront lyrical approach and infectious presence have afforded him an audience of young listeners connected to his unfettered social presence.
In the wake of his most recent single “Drama”, which feature nicopop., we got chatting about Arora’s influences, creative process, and vulnerability in the digital age.
Best Before: What made you first want to start writing music?
Vardaan Arora: I had always loved singing, from an early age, but I really wasn’t confident about writing. But in 2016, I felt kind of stuck. I’d just moved back to America, this time with a green card, but I wasn’t really working, and I had all this creative energy that I didn’t know what to do with. I was going through a wide range of emotions, and I was also struggling a lot mentally. I knew I needed to make something, channel that in a productive way somehow. I impulsively decided to book a trip to Nashville and work with this producer I’d met once to write a song.
I’d always been a big fan of pop music, so I felt like I had a good ear for it and had a strong sense of what I wanted the song to sound like, but I’d never written anything before. It was definitely a risk, because I had no idea what I was doing, but I decided to do it anyway. And I’m so glad I did, because my debut single “Feel Good Song” was born from that one trip to Nashville! If that song hadn’t charted on Spotify‘s ‘Viral 50’, I wouldn’t be doing what I do today.
“Mental health is health. The stigma around it needs to end.”
What does your writing process look like?
It’s always different, depending on who I’m working with and what the energy in the room is like, but I always come up with a concept for the song before I go into the studio. It’s funny, I was in a session the other day and I was working with a writer who said I was the “concept king”. It’s like, I’m going about my day, and then suddenly have a thought or feel a certain way about something and think to myself, “Do other people think like this? I should write about this!”
That’s also why I often come up with song titles before the lyrics and the melodies. For example, I knew I wanted to make songs called “january” and “thirty under thirty” before the lyrics were even written. I also love collaborating with other writers — it brings such a freshness to the work, especially if I get along well with them. I like to have as much fun as possible when I’m in the studio. I’m a very self-conscious, anxious person, so being comfortable and having fun really brings out the best in me, or else I get in my own way.
You are quite open about discussing mental health publicly. Why do you feel it’s important to do so?
I have struggled with severe OCD for a while now (I was diagnosed around 2012), and I know how debilitating it can be. I would spend hours of my day doing mental rituals, reassuring myself of things I already knew to be irrational, and it really took me out of the present moment. I wasn’t enjoying my life, and I know how hard that can be. Mental health is health. The stigma around it needs to end. People deserve easier access to treatment. I try to use whatever platform I have to spread awareness around it, as someone who still struggles on a daily basis. I’m doing much better than I was, and I want others struggling to know that it’s possible to enjoy your life despite an illness telling you otherwise.
As a public-facing gay artist and person of colour, do you feel that there is more pressure on you to present yourself in any particular way?
There was a time in my life I didn’t think I would ever be able to come out. I was fully prepared to live a lie for the rest of my life. So to think that I am now publicly living my life, in the most honest way I know how, is incredible. I feel lucky. I actually think the pressure is off. It’s the little things. I don’t have to hide my femininity, I don’t have to be ashamed of the fact that I stan all the pop girls, I don’t have to anxiously stand around a group of straight men as they talk about sports, ha! Just being myself feels like a privilege, because I was robbed of that in my teens. They say it’s harder to ‘make it’ as a gay artist, which is true. But I don’t care, because I feel free. Every once in a while, I’ll get a message or a comment from someone who says I have helped them — even if it’s in a small way — with their coming out, or that they’re happy to see an Indian person be out and proud. That makes everything so worth it to me.
How do you choose producers and collaborators to work with?
If I like their work, I reach out! I know it sounds simple. I don’t live in LA, even though I work there a lot, so connecting with people who live there isn’t the easiest, but there are so many talented people out there. I used to be afraid of reaching out, because I didn’t want to seem too eager, and also had a natural fear of being rejected. But you never know until you ask, you know? So if you’re an artist out there reading this interview – reach out to a producer or a writer you think would be a good fit! You won’t regret it.
“It’s the little things. I don’t have to hide my femininity… Just being myself feels like a privilege”
What was it like to work with nicopop and Emily Vaughn on this single?
I mean, it’s the fucking dream team. nicopop.’s work is like, *chef’s kiss*. The production is so crisp. And Emily’s melodies are always so infectious. I really lucked out, also, because “Drama” is coming out as my first collaboration. I’ve been such a big fan of both artists, and feel so lucky to have been able to work with them both on the same song.
Do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
Yes! I’m actually working on an EP at the moment. I’ve been releasing singles for the last four years pretty consistently, and I’m finally at a point in my life where I’m itching to release a longer project. I’ve been working on it for a little while, and it’s still going to take some time, but it’s coming this year for sure.
What do you most hope listeners take away from your work?
Not to sound too cliché, but I just want people to find it relatable. I like to write about what I’m going through, and I hope people who are going through something similar find that they’re not alone. Also, just dance to it! Have sex to it! Take long drives while listening to it! Pregame to it! I just want everyone to have a good time.
Give “Drama” a spin below:
Header image by Lizzie Morgan & John Ward.