00:00So, first of all, tell us about your journey.
00:39You are known for blending Bollywood music with American EDM, so how would you describe your signature sound?
01:00You have worked with artists from different industries, like Mark Twain, Sundi Chahan, Guru Rang Dama, Noura Fateh Pacha, so
01:07what have you learned from these global collaborations?
01:09I learned that you have to not really force a sound or a product or a project.
01:19I learned that you should be your authentic self and sort of surrender to the music and the music will
01:26take on its own journey.
01:28There are songs like Qatar and Moonrise have been popular. Do you have a personal favorite among your tracks?
01:35Yeah, I love Moonrise. I love Sajan Ray a lot. I think Sajan Ray has to be one of my
01:42favorite songs that I've ever made.
01:44Talking about Sajan Ray with Pacha and Noura Fateh, what makes the collaboration special for you?
01:49I think it's three artists from three different worlds coming together and trying to create something that's really dope.
01:58You know, like Noura grew up in Canada, I grew up in LA, Bacha grew up here.
02:04We all had different musical influences, but we also listened to similar sound and have similar tastes and you can
02:13hear that in the song.
02:15And the way that it has been picturized, visualized, all the aesthetics, everything is just super spot on.
02:21And I really loved working with them on this song. Yeah.
02:24You came from a Bangladeshi-American background and learned Bollywood with Indians.
02:29But there is also criticism that such vision can compromise originality.
02:33So do you think in the pursuit of a global song, Indian identity sometimes gets diluted?
02:40I don't think so, because that is authentically who I am, right?
02:44I grew up listening to both music from my culture, which happens to be, you know, Bengali.
02:54I listened to Bollywood growing up, but then I also listened to hip hop growing up.
02:59And all my friends were like, you know, Latinos, the black community.
03:05You know, I've listened and vibed with their music growing up from a young age.
03:10So my sound right now is authentically who I am.
03:14And it happens to be somebody that has immersed himself into both cultures.
03:35All of my songs and collaborations till now has had no strategies behind it.
03:43One thing led me to another thing.
03:46One connection took me to another person and I've always just wanted to make music with artists.
03:52And I believe in collaborations.
03:54I get behind collaborations.
03:56I think it is the most beautiful thing we have in music other than the records itself.
04:02It's the different energies and different people coming together to create one project that then touches so many people.
04:10I think that's a really beautiful thing.
04:13And yeah, I don't think there's any other strategy behind it.
04:16In today's music industry, number use and virality seem to matter more than ever.
04:23Do you feel the real music depth has been sidelined, especially in the EDM space?
04:27I don't think so.
04:29Like, uh, if that was the case, then, uh, you wouldn't hear, uh, beautiful songs that Sayara had or like
04:37a Durandar to, uh, you know, that new Jasmine Sandless and, uh, uh, Satinder Sataj song.
04:44Like, it's a very pure and beautiful record.
04:49I don't, I don't think, and it's big on reels and it's big on people are creating content to it
04:54and stuff.
04:55I don't think that stuff dilutes how good a song is.
04:58I think if the song is authentic and if the song connects with people, it's not forcing a feeling.
05:05It's staying true to the feeling that it was created for.
05:08It will always connect whether you take away reels.
05:12If you take even everything away, people, the song will find its people.
05:17Your latest track Sajan Red with Badsha and Noorapati.
05:20Some critics say that it reflects a visual heavy content, right?
05:24Fly trend.
05:25Do you agree that focus is shifted from music to performance and glamour?
05:29No, I mean, people are listening to the song on Spotify and Apple Music.
05:33There's no visuals there.
05:34Um, I think, uh, the music video is beautiful.
05:39Uh, if you say, and I'm, I'm happy that we put in so much time efforts and energies,
05:45uh, in the heat of Mumbai to shoot that and bring something amazing like that.
05:51Uh, I think if you think about it, there's like hundreds of people's time and energy that went into creating
05:57that video.
05:58Um, people sometimes forget that everybody in an industry is also working towards the art and to make something successful.
06:07So, yes, we should prioritize visual.
06:10We should prioritize making dope shit.
06:13You have worked in a social driven track like Up Lotta with Sundi Chahan.
06:18Yeah.
06:18While also creating party entrance.
06:20Right.
06:21Is this contrast an artistic choice or is it driven by market pressure?
06:25Uh, I didn't even know what market pressure was at the time.
06:28I was 18 when I made that song.
06:31Um, I still don't know what market pressure is because I live in hotel rooms and in my headphones
06:37and in flights.
06:38So, I don't really pay attention to that stuff.
06:41I just want to make the music that makes me happy.
06:46I think we're doing it.
06:56Right.
06:57I just think, uh, I mean like Diljeet Paji worked with Sia and David Guetta in the recent release.
07:02Um, Karan Ajla has worked with Ed Sheeran.
07:05Uh, you know, I just think we just haven't maybe had the right song yet.
07:13Uh, but you know, and that's also coming soon.
07:16They have growing perception that artists today collaborate or play safe rather than experimenting
07:21solo.
07:22Mm-hmm.
07:23So, do you see yourself as a part of that trend?
07:26Uh, no.
07:27I, I, I love collaborating honestly.
07:29I think, uh, like I said, collaborations to me is a beautiful thing.
07:35Cracks like Qatar and Moonrise have created a strong vibe.
07:38But do you think that EDM genre in India has become over-saturated?
07:42I don't think so because every, every record, uh, has its own world.
07:51And, uh, they touch people if they are simply not forcing a sound.
07:58Uh, it, it just needs to feel, you know, just, just smooth and part of the song that you're
08:04trying to create.
08:04It's, it's, you can't really force people to dance.
08:07Okay.
08:08Sorry.
08:08There is also a perception that, uh, diaspora artists entering the Indian music space may
08:14lack a strong connection to ground reality.
08:17Right.
08:17Have you ever faced this criticism?
08:18No, uh, the thing is I collaborate with artists that are really in tune with, you know, whatever's,
08:25uh, out here.
08:27And I, I learn a lot from working with people.
08:29And I'm, you know, grateful that I've been able to be in the rooms that I have been able
08:35to be and create the music that I've had.
08:41Okay.
08:42Uh, talking about, how was that collaboration and, uh, tell us something about, uh, what
08:48was the thing that, uh, attracted you to this song?
08:51Um, I think the hook is, uh, really the first thing that sort of started the journey of the
08:58song and the idea of the rhythm.
09:01And it's like really following like the production of the drums of the record is following the
09:07beats of a dole, uh, which is authentically like rooted in the, in our culture.
09:12Uh, but it's not the sound of the dole, but it's like the swing and the danceiness of a beat
09:17of a dole.
09:18So I think that's really attractive about the song.
09:20And yeah, from the audio side, I had full creative control.
09:35I was able to produce and compose a song that I wanted to, uh, and bring the sound that I
09:43wanted to for such Andre when it comes to the video, honestly, I left it, uh, up to Nora
09:49because she just, she's done it so much.
09:52And I haven't been on sets like this.
09:54Like this was my first time shooting a music video in India.
09:57Um, and she's super experienced and she knows exactly what visuals fit the vibe of the record.
10:03So I kind of left that one to her and I think she crushed it.
10:06Okay.
10:08Uh, talking about, uh, music, uh, uh, composing things, uh, and, uh, uh, music, uh, there is
10:15also, uh, one thing that, uh, critics always, uh, uh, tell us that, uh, uh, the AI factor
10:22is, uh, people are creating music through AI.
10:25So what do you think about that?
10:26I think, uh, just like in the eighties when synthesizers were introduced, like, you know,
10:32you could play so many different instruments on the keyboard.
10:35Everyone said the bands are going to go out of fashion.
10:37Orchestra is done.
10:39When recorded music started and we had pro tools and we could record, uh, audio onto a computer,
10:45people were like, oh, music is done, man.
10:47Like what are musicians going to do?
10:49We've made it from generations to generation.
10:52We've made it.
10:53So I think AI is the newest tool now.
10:55And if you can use it as a tool to benefit the record, I think you should do it.
10:59How much do you use in your music by AI thing?
11:02Um, I have used it, but it depends on the record.
11:08You know, like if, if it helps a record, if it gives me an idea that I wouldn't have myself
11:13and it's a good idea for the song, then I've used it, but I've never used it as a generative
11:19tool where, you know, you just take what it gives you.
11:22And then like, then what am I there for?
11:26Like I, I like the journey of like waking up a morning, the melody comes to my head.
11:31I create a vibe.
11:33Then I go on the journey.
11:34I go to Dubai to record the artists.
11:36Then I come to Mumbai to record another artist.
11:38AI music doesn't have that journey.
11:40And I don't think people on the other side listening, uh, can even feel, feel the vibes.
11:47Right.
11:47So I like that.
11:49I think, I think I'm going to continue to do it myself for as long as I can.
12:01I like interpolation.
12:03I don't, um, I'm not, uh, recreation in a way, uh, like for, for example, the way we
12:10did Oma Matethema, that record existed before in a culture.
12:14It was huge there, but the way we've brought it into India, the Shreyaji opening the verse
12:21with a beautiful melody and it's authentically our, like rooted in our melodies.
12:27And then it goes into the Afro beats zone.
12:29I love working on songs like that.
12:31I think I'll continue to do that, uh, for as long as I can, because I think that's how
12:36we are truly making our Indian music global.
12:39Cause we're fusing it with other cultures and other sounds.
12:47Other singers that I want to collaborate with.
12:49Um, I love Arijita's voice a lot.
12:53I, I, I hope to work on something with him.
12:56I know he might not be doing some films.
12:58I don't really know, but, um, I would like to work with him on a song.
13:02I think, I think that'd be dope.
13:05Uh, yeah, I think, but then we can get in the room and write a song together and he can
13:11sing that song.
13:12I guess at that point it won't be playback singing.
13:15So I would love to, I would love to write a song with him and work on it.
13:19Yeah.
13:20Uh, future projects.
13:22Uh, there's going to be a lot of songs in different languages coming together.
13:25The Arab countries or, um, you know, the African countries.
13:30Uh, yeah, I think, I think it's going to be a fun ride.
13:33We're just in the beginning.
13:35And one message to your fans.
13:37I love you guys.
13:39Uh, thank you so much for listening.
13:40And it means the world that you would even take the time to listen to my music when you
13:46have so much more other options.
13:47And thank you for creating to it.
13:49And for as long as I can, I will keep on providing music to you guys.
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