Diving deep into his mind, one can discover the diversity and unbiased conceptions of life and its reality. It’s like swimming through a sea of emotions, bathing in an ocean of beliefs and drowning in the pain of his homelands history. As portrayed in his music, 22 year old South London based lyricist Loven Ganeswaran has emerged to build the body of the skeleton stereotype into his version of an art form that can now be defined as “rap with mind, heart and soul”.
“Lyricism has always empowered me. If anything it’s taught me more about life than this infiltrated propaganda that’s brainwashed society” states Loven. He takes his seat in a warm coffee shop on a surprisingly mild December morning near his university in Whitechapel. Loven’s persona is somewhat different to what one would expect from an MC. Polite with a smile, please and a thank you. “So where do you want me to start, by telling you how I grew up worshiping Pac and Biggie?” He smiles. It seems that Loven has been asked this question far too many times. “They’re big, but I can’t say that they were the sole reason I started rapping” admits Loven. Amongst his influences he includes the conscious mind of Rass Kass alongside many other UK artists including the flavour of Akala. “I am a product of my influences no doubt, but I have developed to innovate and set a different standard myself.”
As most of you may know, Loven is no stranger to the London mic’s. He started off with a residency at London’s Strawberry Moons over 5 years ago and moved onto regular nights at various venues including Equinox, Sound Republic, Eros, Ministry of Sound and Hippodrome to name a few. Club MC’ing is something totally different to what he does now. “Its great to hype people, but there is no deep value in it” says Loven. “Writing folders of intricate, heartfelt flows is what appeals to me the most, plus being able to produce and perform them live at these shows gives me the most satisfaction”.
On the subject of shows, Loven’s latest hype stems from his emotional performance at QueenMaryUniversity’s Sri Lankan Society Show “The Breakout.” The combination of deep lyrical content, defined delivery and atmosphere had the crowds’ eyes swelling with premature tears. It was the choice of track, his latest single “Teardrops” featuring the angelic vocals of Abi which compliments Loven’s heartfelt lyrics, making it very special. Based on the pain experienced by orphans in Sri Lanka as result of the conflict and tsunami, Loven dwells deep into a topic which makes us realise that our own superficial worries are insignificant in comparison. “I loved performing at Logan Hall that night, my gratitude is with the crowd for their support” Loven says with appreciation. Truly the single Teardrops has had an impact on those who have listened to it. It opens eyes to realise the reality written from an unbiased perspective. “Its love for the innocence of children who are victims in their own homes”. The single Teardrops and Loven’s other tracks are available on his myspace page www.myspace.com/loven2006
To listen to teardrops click play...
Loven also performed with our very own Krishan, who called Loven back on stage for a quick collaboration. “Yeah, that was a shock! I was standing by the side of the stage just before Krishan was about to go on. We were talking for a bit, next thing I know he’s calling me up to freestyle with him! It was nice vibing with him, great to collaborate with.
Logan Hall isn’t the only venue Loven’s shaken this year, during the summer he performed at the Etnosur festival in Malaga, Spain in front of a 20,000 audience. “The feeling was indescribable”. It was part of a tour with “Sister India” an Asian fusion collective which also boasts the familiar talents of Abi (vocalist) and Cesar (dancer) led by BBC London’s DJ Ritu. It was great to entertain the Spanish, amongst many others who appreciate Asian influenced music, proving that there is a market niche.” Loven performed some of his more familiar tracks from “The Outlook” which includes a remix of Bobby Valentino’s “Tell Me” and the politically appealing “7/7 Will Things Ever Change?” Loven also dipped into the new Sister India material including “Crackerhead” with Abi on the chorus due for air play early next year.
So what’s in the pipeline for the future? “A variety of diversity” Loven states as he finishes the rest of his Mocha Latte. “My main focus is currently on the Teardrops track. Its like a mini project which will feature on my mix album that I am currently working on. The Sister India album is pretty much complete, just needs a few tweaks and the first single off that is Crackerhead so look out for it”
The dawn of a new era? Loven brings to the industry a positively pure form. Whilst playing on words and picking on topics which all of us can relate to, Loven leaves an impressive stamp whilst providing food for thought. Keep your eyes peeled, its time for him to blow.
