We had a chat with the emerging talent Mere Raj about his latest single “inmyhead”, future plans and more
Raised in rural South Carolina, and currently based in North Carolina, 23 year-old emerging talent Mere Raj’s sound fits somewhere between melodic rap and trap-infused R&B paired with his unique voice which gives us Don Toliver and RMR vibes.
Accompanied by a music video directed by Amaria Mcgee, the promising do-it-all artist returns with his soulful R&B-tinged new single “inmyhead”, the excellent follow-up to previous release “PSYCHO”— one of our favourite releases so far this year. We thought it was the right time to get to know him before he blows up.
Read our conversation with Mere Raj below:
Where are you currently based?
I’m based out of North Carolina.
What’s life like there? Do you feel your style of music fits the area?
It’s pretty slow, and a lot of the same things happen. So I guess my music doesn’t really match that lol.
Ah damn, that sucks. Did the area have any influence in your artistry?
It probably does, after looking at all the same stuff for so long it makes me want to start searching internally for something that feels new or that hasn’t been uncovered before.
I understand. Growing up, which artists were you exposed to?
My pops was a DJ, like turntables and all, so he kept a lot playing all the time. Growing up it could be anything from Stevie Wonder to Queen to Santana to Prince and Michael, never know what you were gonna get. In my late grandmother’s house was a lot of James Brown, Al Greene, Earth Wind and Fire and Marvin.
Nice! And right now, who are you listening to?
Right now it’s everything, but Brent and Che Ecru constantly in my daily rotation.
You’ve just released your new single “inmyhead”, what was the inspiration behind the song?
The idea actually came from a story my homie was telling me about a girl he was dealing with. He kept saying how his interactions with her started to fuck with him, and I told him that sounds like a song. As I write songs more and more I realize the part I play in conveying other peoples situations. It’s important to tell the story because it’s probably relatable.
Talk us through the creative process. How are you feeling about the world hearing it for the first time?
I actually pitched the entire instrumental down from what Mike (Hector) sent me, I tend to do that a lot playing with the song key. The background vocals pull the whole thing together and set the tone for what I’m saying.
It’s your second release this year, will it be a part of a project? Or are you only planning to release singles this year?
So yeah, this is the 2nd one off the project. We’re thinking to put out one more here soon, and then have the EP come before summer ends.
In your own words, how would you describe your sound to a complete stranger?
I would say it’s my name, a mirage. I’m taking you to a different planet for 3 mins, and hopefully you learn something about me when you come back.
Stream “inmyhead” below:
