The Sunday Music Drop is a weekly radio series hosted by the KQED weekend news team. In each segment, we feature a song from a local musician or band with an upcoming show and hear about what inspires their music.
Deva Rani, an Oakland-based R&B and neo-soul artist, said she was introduced to playing piano and drums at a young age. Her style is based on soul music with a mellow tempo as well as her calm personality. As a child, she remembers visiting Lake Merritt in Oakland and being welcomed to play in the drum circles.
“Oakland brings something out of you that makes you want to express every version or every aspect of who you are in one person,” she said. “I think that growing up in Oakland has definitely shaped who I am.”
The song “darling” is about being in the honeymoon phase of a new relationship and wanting to know more about a partner. She says the song is light-hearted and upbeat, which is a change for her since she is used to making more mellow songs.
“I created this intro that fades in and out so it kind of feels like you’re coming in and out of a dream,” she said. “It is just a very lovey dovey song, and I hope that [people] can take that away from it and share it with their partner.”