BENGALURU: Ask singer Shaan on whether he has missed out on something in his 25-year career, and he promptly replies that he never expected to come this far. The singer, who started his journey as an Indie-pop sensation with outfits such as Q-Funk in 1995, followed by his Bollywood debut in 1999 with hits like Musu Musu Hasi and Woh Pehli Baar, sent the crowd into a frenzy at Orion Mall, Malleswaram, during his performance on Saturday.
Talking about the influences behind his songs, Shaan said during his early years, he noticed that most singer-songwriters abroad would write their own lyrics whereas it was quite opposite in India. He said, “Over here, we have other people to write songs for us. It’s not fair as you can’t call it your song when you are not involved in it creatively. Though I didn’t know much of Urdu and Hindi growing up, I would listen to my father’s poetry, which had a mix of modernism and classical elements.”
Citing his song, Bhool Ja, he added that it aimed to create a positive feeling towards heartbreaks and pull one away from a depressed state of mind, whereas Gumsum Ho Kyun was a love song he wrote for his then-girlfriend and now-wife Radhika. “Many songs are from my own connection with life and thoughts, which revolve around it,” he said.
Shaan has collaborated with various international singers, with the most widely-acclaimed one being the collaboration with erstwhile British boy-band, Blue. Speaking about his upcoming projects, he said, “I’m working on a few non-film collaborations and an upcoming song with Richa Sharma. I’m writing a new song based on Tanha Dil, which was released 20 years ago. This one will have a fresh take as it’s about fighting clinical depression,” said Shaan.
With the country observing severe unrest across the North-Eastern states with respect to the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act, the singer expressed his views, saying that, “I do think some laws seem to be at the edge of not being fair to the people. When you make a law of the land, it should be followed and I’m aware that it is difficult to deal with infiltration. But when a law to send these people back is being made, then it should include all them and not a divide and choose, it is just unfair.”