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Dhruv Visvanath is an Indian singer and songwriter, whose fame rose as a unique acoustic percussive guitarist, earning him the nickname ‘Guitar Spanker.’ In 2014, Dhruv was the only Indian to be listed among the ’30 Great Guitarists Under 30′ by the Acoustic Guitar magazine. He was a finalist in an American reality music show My Kind of Country in 2023. Dhruv was also featured on the Coke Studio Bharat in the song ‘Khalasi’ in 2023.
Wiki/Biography
Dhruv Visvanath was born in 1992 (age 32 years; as of 2024) in Delhi, India. He grew up in different cities and countries like England, Zambia, Hong Kong, and Bombay in India.
Dhruv Visvanath in his infant years, pictured with his parents
He did his schooling from 2003 to 2007 at Island School, Hong Kong, and completed his secondary school at the Sanskrit School, New Delhi. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in geography from 2010 to 2015 at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Delhi University and also studied architecture. His musical journey began when he joined piano classes at the age of 7 years. He was 13 years old when he first picked up the guitar and learned it through the trial and error technique.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Weight (approx.): 80 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Dhruv Visvanath is half Punjabi and half South Indian.
Parents & Siblings
Dhruv Visvanath’s mother, Jyoti Singh Visvanath, is a blogger and painter. His father, Shekhar Visvanath, died in 2008. He has a younger brother, Jay Visvanath.
Dhruv Visvanath with his mother, Jyoti Singh Visvanath, and brother, Jay Visvanath
Dhruv Visvanath with his father, late Shekhar Visvanath
Wife & Children
Dhruv Visvanath is unmarried and has no children.
Relationships/Affairs
Dhruv Visvanath is in a relationship with Niyati Singh.
Dhruv Visvanath with Niyati Singh
Career
Singer & Songwriter
Dhruv Visvanath has produced 3 albums and many songs. His debut album, ‘Orion,’ which was released on 19 September 2015, was produced by the Bollywood singer-producer Vishal Dadlani. His second album, ‘The Lost Cause’ was released in 2018 and the third album, ‘The Book of I,’ was released in parts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dhruv gained more reputation in 2023 when he became a finalist in the American Apple T.V.’s music competition series ‘My Kind of Country.’
Guitarist
Dhruv Visvanath is a solo percussive acoustic guitarist. His music compositions chiefly include acoustic, electro-acoustic, hard rock, and alternative. His style of spanking guitar while playing it introduced a new genre of music to the Indian music industry. In 2023, Dhruv was featured in the famous Indian ‘Khalasi’ song that was released on the Indian music show Coke Studio Bharat. In this song, he contributed his percussive acoustic guitar beats.
Dhruv’s music is featured in the film ‘Sonchirya’ and he has also collaborated with A. R. Rahman on “Dil Bechara” and “Blinded By The Light.”
Dhruv Visvanath’s Instagram post about his experience at Coke Studio Bharat
Discography of Dhruv Visvanath
Singles as a lead artist
Singles as a featured artist
Albums as a lead artist
Extended Plays as a lead artist
Awards and Achievements
- Awarded the Best Pop Artist/ Singer-Songwriter of The Year by the Indian Music Diaries (2022)
- Dhruv was India’s only entrant to South By South West, Austin, Texas USA, and the Canadian Music Week in Toronto. (2018)
- He was featured among the ’30 Great Guitarists under 30′ (in the world) along with Ed Sheeran and Newton Faulkner in the U. S. A. based Acoustic Guitar Magazine. (2014)
- His album ”The Lost Cause’ was listed as one of the ‘Best Indian Albums of 2018’ by the American magazine Rolling Stone.
- He was selected for Spotify Worldwide’s RADAR programme in 2021.
Dhruv Visvanath selected for Spotify’s RADAR Programme
- He was featured as the face of the Indie English Playlist by Spotify in 2021.
Dhruv Visvanath’s Instagram post about being featured on the cover of Spotify’s Indie English Playlist
- He was honoured by the Coke Studio Bharat for his contribution to the song ‘Khalasi.’
Dhruv Visvanath’s Instagram post about being honoured by Coke Studio Bharat
Favourites
- Band: Alter Bridge, Foals, and Snarky Puppy.
- Cities: Montreal and Hong Kong
Facts/Trivia
- He loves to write cinematic music.
- Dhruv’s hobbies are reading and drawing.
- He also worked as an intern in the Microsoft and Nokia companies before fully dedicating himself to music.
- Dhruv is an animal lover, especially cats and dogs.
Dhruv Visvanath playing with his cat ‘Tarzan,’ during his childhood
Dhruv Visvanath posing with a dog
- Dhruv Visvanath credits guitarists like Andy Mckee, Don Ross, and Antoine Dufour as his great teachers. When he became disinterested in playing the electric guitar, it was these artists who gave him the realization that he was made for the percussive acoustic style.
- One of the idols of Dhruv is the Indian legendary musician A. R. Rahman.
Dhruv Visvanath’s Facebook post about A. R. Rahman
- He was the sound designer of the short film Rizwan – Keeper of The Gates of Heaven.
- Dhruv is a nature lover and loves to travel especially to hilly regions.
Dhruv Visvanath’s Instagram post about his love for mountains
- The trial and error technique works best for Dhruv as a musician. In an interview, he said,
trial and error above everything else.”
- Dhruv Visvanath has named his 7 guitars as Andrea, Lucy, Catherine, Naomi, Sophie, Sara, and Lauren. He has also named his keyboard as Christa and laptop as Betty.
Dhruv Visvanath posing with his guitars
- Dhruv’s 3 Desert Island Discs are ‘One Day Remains’ by Alter Bridge, Greatest Hits by Phil Collins, and ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace’ by Foo Fighters.
- Dhruv Visvanath is a philanthropist. He contributed to the fundraising event ‘Paani’ that was organised by the Pyaas organisation in Delhi to help the drought victims in Maharashtra.
Dhruv Visvanath, photographed performing live at the fundraising event ‘Paani’
- Dhruv Visvanath has been selected as the youth ambassador of several international brands and has been featured in various popular magazines.