My parents are my best friends, says RITVIZ

Has being based in Pune affected your approach to music, and how different would it have been had you lived in Mumbai?

I'm quite a reserved person and I don't step out much. So honestly, I don't think it would make that much of a difference. What matters a lot more to me, and my music eventually, is where my parents are. They are my best friends. They are responsible for providing me with the right tools, creating the environment that I needed while growing up, and essentially, supporting my dreams and goals.

What are the three most important lessons you have learnt from frequent collaborator Nucleya?
1) Family comes first - what Smriti and Guri [Nucleya's wife and son] are to him, my parents are to me. 2) There is no replacement for hard work - few other musicians have delivered three solid albums in three years and that was only possible because of his discipline. 3) It's okay to say no - as you become more popular, a lot of things come your way and saying no might be tough, but it's necessary.

At what stage is VED in terms of being ready? How much is it a departure from your earlier work?
The album is about 80 per cent ready. There are one or two songs that I'm still not happy with, but I'm hoping to wrap them up soon. The introduction of my vocals on VED makes this a new format compared to my 2016 EP, YUV. But if you listen to my 2014 debut EP, Vizdumb, you can draw parallels.

Log on to: RITVIZ's SoundCloud page

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates