Sahil Sharma aka Zaeden has continued setting benchmarks for himself as well as other DJs and producers in the country over the last 2 years. Having become the first Indian producer to feature on Hardwell On Air back in 2014, Sahil has gone on to become one of the most internationally recognized Indian DJs in the dance music realm today. With releases on Spinnin’ Records, which includes ‘Yesterday‘ with Borgeous that went on to be premiered at Tomorrowland 2015, as well as a remix for Justin Bieber’s ‘Love Yourself’, the Delhi based DJ and producer has achieved quite a lot at such a relevant age.
We caught up with him prior to his B2B set with Kerano at Budweiser Presents What’s Brewing In Delhi to discuss his success, his future plans and much more. Read on!
TBB: Hey Sahil. You have recently found some massive success. Can you talk to us a bit about it?
Zaeden: Yeah, its pretty handy to have it, though I never planned for it. Me and my management stick to basics. It’s not the radio support of a bigger DJ or a Beatport no.1. I make music which could appeal to masses, sounds pretty and people could enjoy the vibe anywhere. With “Never Let You Go” the plan was to have good vocals and we give them exactly what is needed regardless of genres. I never work with a rigid mindset. Its just about giving the track what’s required, its very basic, nothing too fancy about it. We just need to make good music rather than thinking about fitting into a category of DJs or in other words to fit into “Hardwell on Air“. These strategies don’t work these days. It used to, back in my struggling days. But it’s an outdated thing now.
TBB: “Never Let You Go” was a sensational summer record. How was it like working with Nina & Malika?
Zaeden: Sometimes while making music, your friends come up with some really cool ideas which the track demands. In this case I shared the idea with them, and Nina came up with some catchy guitar riffs and grooves. They fitted in so well, that it had to happen. We sat with our vocalists and lyricist for the final arrangement of the track and it took us at least a month to find the right vocal, while the instrumental was finished within 4 days. It was a combined effort at the end making it sound the way we desired.
TBB: Last year, you became the first Indian artist to sign onto Spinnin’ What’s next on the horizon?
Zaeden: Spinnin‘ being the greatest dance record label and is a great platform for me. The best part is, you can stay in regular communication with A&R’s. They are very practical and point to point. I don’t have to think about making a specific sound with Spinnin‘. I just need to follow my flow and they are very supportive at the moment and are looking forward to fresh creative vibes. I think that’s why they are the best in what they are doing. They offer space for creativity. I would stick to basics and make good music for the future. I am recently reworking a famous track with Raghav. It can turn out to be really positive for me in future.
TBB: Besides electronic music, what kind of genre do you like listening to and who?
Zaeden: Besides electronic music, I tend to listen to old rock bands, Coldplay, Charlie Puth, Gallant, Kanye West, Drake etc. Innovation comes with fusing things from different genres, so I always keep myself open for latest updates in music industry. Its very important for growth.
TBB: And finally, can you tell us how your career is #AlwaysBrewing?
Zaeden: Haha I liked the way you used that #AlwaysBrewing. Anyway, 3 basic rules.
- Consistency – Set up your routine work. Make sure you do it daily, get in touch with professionals/your management, set up bench marks, keep your performance updated, keep doing something unexpected.
- Awareness : As I said, if you are not in sync with the latest updates in your industry you can never grow. Stay always 5 steps ahead in terms of awareness.
- Hardwork : There are no shortcuts. Skills take time. Have faith in your passion. Be sensible enough to find a good reason of doing what you plan to take as your career. Time and patience will get you there.
Zaeden takes over Hauz Khas Social tomorrow with a B2B set with Kerano for Budweiser presents What’s Brewing Delhi. For more details, check out the Facebook event page.
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