- Singer-songwriter Arnon Ray Pereira on ‘Loving is Free’, his new melancholic love song
Indie soul singer, songwriter and producer, better known as the vocalist for the local band “The Drift”, grew up between Mount Lavinia and his maternal village Thalathuoya, Kandy. His most solo successful release to date is his song Rich Friends, which is essentially a social commentary on the Colombo nouveau riche. This song later went on to become a collaborative project with the Thai label Rats Records, and was shared widely on social media by Thai singer Phum Viphurit.
In conversation with Arnon, he named this to be a huge “pinch me, I must be dreaming moment”, and was somewhat a major highlight in his career. After two years of releasing songs on streaming platforms, he told us that there are two songs that he is the most proud of; Oh My Girl and Red Eyes, which were released in 2021, and are two songs he holds very close to his heart as well.
Arnon’s interest in music was piqued during the time he lived with his grandparents. “My parents split when I was really young, and I moved in with my grandparents, who I ended up living with for most of my formative years,” he told us, explaining that his grandmother, Jean Norma, is a jazz singer who is accompanied by his grandfather, who plays the jazz saxophone.
In his house, there was always music playing or being played when he was growing up. Ray told us that his grandparents would perform around Colombo and he would accompany them on the weekends and evenings and watch them perform.
“I loved it, I would help carry sounds and be enthralled watching them on stage together,” he added.
Even today, Ray told us that music takes centre stage at every family gathering they have, adding that it is really part of who they are and how they communicate with each other.
So of course, it was no surprise when he named his grandparents as his biggest musical influences. He told us that growing up, spending most of his time in church learning hymns has moulded him to what he is today. “There was never a day without melody roaming around the household.”
Ray’s latest project, a song called Loving is Free, was just released on all streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube (ArnonRayPereira). The newly released single, according to Ray, is a love song with a melancholic melody tethering on the edges of both soul and indie rock genres.
“I think this is where I feel most comfortable creating, where I feel most in my flow,” he shared, adding that the lyrics describe how when two people are in love they can grow together but neither is perfect, the love is free but growth is a mutual investment. When asked what the inspiration behind the song was, he told us the new single is a culmination of all past relationships and the different things he’s learned from different people.
The accompanying music video is still in the early stages of creation, as Ray told us he is not one to believe that the creative process is linear, so he is on board with the song coming first and the music video following later. However, he did reveal that he is in talks with some really inspirational creators across the video and digital landscape to make something really perfect, that he believes will be the ideal fit for the vibe of the song.
When asked if he has any expectations for Loving is Free, he told us that he tries not to load his music with expectations.
“Of course, I would love for it to be successful in terms of peoples connection to the song and increased listership, but I also know that music is subjective and what may resonate with me, doesn’t necessarily resonate with you, and that’s okay, that’s life,” he added.
In saying that, he also noted that he gets so much happiness from people connecting with his lyrics since love as a theme is universal and is something we can all connect to on some level. While not having too many expectations, he does hope that people will truly feel something when they listen to his song.
Ray also told us that for this particular release, there were no collaborators, although he added: “I have a community of people within the music scene who of course help with mixing and mastering and I am always so grateful for their input.” He is currently in talks with a few musicians he dubbed “really cool”, both in the country and abroad, with whom he is planning on working on a few projects he told us will be coming to fruition later this year.
Ray aims to release new music every month, or at least every six weeks or so, and he urged his listeners to keep an eye on on his Instagram (@arnonraypereiramusic) and Twitter (@arnonraypereira) adding that it would mean the world to him if his listeners could drop him a message sharing their thoughts on his music, noting that constructive criticism is always welcome and makes him who is is today.
