Indian producer/DJ Shaan recently made history by becoming the first Indian DJ to sign a major international label deal with the prestigious Virgin EMI/Universal Music Group. And to kick off this partnership on a high note, the Mumbai-based act has teamed up with Australian singer/songwriter Celina Sharma for his latest release, ‘Say Yes‘. The track beautifully combines the classic harmonious sounds that the seasoned producer is known for along with a raw melodic touch by Celina.
Released via Colaba Records/Virgin EMI, ‘Say Yes‘ marks the first of many releases to come from Shaan in the near future. And fresh off the track’s highly awaited release, we caught up with both the collaborators to talk about the track, upcoming plans and much more.
Read on.
TBB: Hey Shaan and Celina! It’s great to have you guys here. How’s it going for you both?
Shaan and Celina: Its going great! Haha, Celina how you liking India ? India is always a place I love to visit. Love the food and buzz of this country. This time is even more special as it’s the first time performing live in India and at such a large festival. Really excited.
TBB: Congratulations Shaan on becoming the first Indian DJ to sign a label deal with the prestigious Virgin EMI/Universal Music Group. What does this major partnership mean to your career and music?
Shaan: Thanks so much guys, its pretty amazing to know I’m the first one to sign a major deal like that. Although for me it was never about being the first for me it was always a goal to sign to a major and take my music even more international, so this is great! The whole team at Virgin EMI are really backing the project and that means so much for me. It’ll help my music reach more ears, bigger artists, bigger performances and so much more! It gives me a great base to launch my new music from!
TBB: Talking about your brand new single ‘Say Yes’ with Celina Sharma, can you both tell us a bit about how the whole track came to life?
Shaan: Well it’s been an interesting journey because I had this song ready for a while and when I signed with Rounded Talent my manager Vishal said Celina has to vocal this. I was blown away with the fact that she was just 15 at the time and her voice was so mature. I’ve always looked to push young talent from across the globe and just had to do this song with her!
TBB: ‘Say Yes’ marks your debut as an artist, Celina. How was it like working with Shaan on this record? Also, what’s next for you as a singer/songwriter in the music industry?
Celina: Working with SHAAN was a honour. Really learnt a lot and was just a amazing experience for me at such a young age. I was 15 at the time we recorded the song and was so much fun. For me next as a artist is to hopefully bring more songs out for you all soon to enjoy. I really want to be a globally recognised artist. I am actually going to Stockholm after this to spend time in studio which is really exciting for me. Hopefully I can be back on a stage India soon performing also.
TBB: Can fans expect more new music from you before 2018 ends? Do you have any big plans in the works for 2019?
Shaan: Yea I think both Celina & I have loads of music to be released through 2018 and 2019! I’ve got hopefully 1 new single on Virgin EMI before the end of the year. Although I’ve got massive plans for India with an India based album, I wish I could say more!
TBB: Shaan, you will be performing at the Sunburn City Festival in Mumbai this Saturday alongside Yellow Claw, Moksi and many more! Any special plans for your upcoming set?
Shaan: Oh yea so many plans, Its my first time playing sunburn since a while and I’ve warned them I’m getting a lot of special guests to premier 4 new songs from my Album and Celina to perform live with me. It’s going to be loads of fun haha!