International music sensation Sean Paul who is on his maiden tour in India, is all set to explore the country.
Managed by Blue Note Entertainment, the tour will commence from 2 November in Gurgaon followed by Mumbai on 3 November and Bangalore on 4 November.
Paul takes time out of his schedule and talks about making money, collaborations and on his latest album in a quick tete-a-tete with RadioandMusic.com.
Related Post
Excerpts:
This is your first trip to India. What were the most outrageous things you heard about the country? Apart from performing, will you have time to see the country?
I have been wanting to visit India for like six years now and thanks to Blue Note Entertainment, I’ll be performing for all my Indian fans. I am ready to explore as much as I could. For all that I have heard about this welcoming country, I am sure it will be terrific. How could I not visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World? However be the time constraint, I am paying a visit to (the) Taj Mahal. I really want to know its story. India has a rich cultural heritage. I just hope in the stipulated time of my visit, I can make the most of it. And as you know I am fond of jackets, so I’ll be visiting Indian designers to get Zardozi work on them and take them back home.
What can the much awaited fans expect from the concert?
I am now bringing Tomahawk Technique which has been a rage in the States and Europe, and all my Indian fans will groove to their all time favourite tracks from my earlier albums be it ‘Temperature’, ‘Get Busy’ and other surprises for the opening and closing ceremony. The concert is kept in mind keeping the Indian essence. Fardeen of Blue Note Entertainment wants to blend the concert with the Indian festival of lights, so I believe the décor will be extravagant. Fans have to just expect a lot of surprises.
From where do you get inspiration for songs and music. Can you tell us the recording process for your albums- including the latest Tomahawk Technique?
Music is my escape. I have absolutely no reason to write a particular song. I am bored and I create something new. Yeah, Tomahawk Technique is my latest and fifth album. I did everything I could to dancehall music, some collaborations, pre- releasing singles individually, working with different dancehall producers. And then sometimes when you’re in same waters, all the time you could be stagnant or I want someone else to help me achieve probably something I am not even thinking of. On this album I branched out as far as the producers I worked with. I called the album ‘Tomahawk Technique’ because it’s the cutting edge of music. I’d be in the studio and everyone would freak out saying I was cutting through the tracks because the lyrics were so sharp.
Today- pop music is heavily marketed and pop stars are seen to be ‘manufactured’ by labels, conglomerates and media houses. How true is this accusation and what’s your take on the issue?
I think it is important that whatever business you do- being a musician is also a business- it is important to market and promote it. It is just as important as making music itself. Because if you are making good music or whatever music, people may or may not like it, but if promoted and marketed in a fantastic way, it can be sold. For example this (Korean rapper) Psy, no one understands his music, but YouTube made it so famous. So there is no harm.
Would you choose musical integrity resulting in relative obscurity to being part of ‘manufactured’ global pop stardom?
This question keeps coming to us, but it is very subjective. It depends on musicians, some play for themselves, some want to make money. Making Money is not morally wrong but if the musician bends his music just because their manager or management thinks that way then it is the matter of musical integrity if they want to preserve it or bend it. Bottom line is if he chooses to make less money but better music, he will be respected.
You have collaborated with a number of big names in the industry- Is there any real creative exchanges between artists in these projects apart from getting good publicity.
Yeah, collaborating just for publicity’s sake I wouldn’t completely agree with but there is definitely sparks which fly, like I’ve always said two is better than one. Creative exchanges happen and take the tempo to a different level all together. That is the reason why for my latest album ‘Tomahawk Technique’ I got producers outside the reggae game like StarGate, Rico Love, Benny Blanco, and DJ Ammo to get them to make dancehall from their perspective.
And I am producing and voicing for Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Spragga Benz- like for the biggest artists’ dancehall has ever seen. It is all about putting up the balancing act and most of my biggest hits are with the ladies of course- Blu Cantrell, Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Alexis Jordan. It’s all about the chemistry, I am a lucky man, collaboration is the best way to expand!
Your style of singing and the music is strongly rooted to Jamaica- Caribbean, which is a hotbed of musical styles. Who were your influences and how did you develop your style of singing?
If you know, I was a national level water polo player before I took up music as my career. I am a Jamaican; my biggest influence has been my origin itself. Yes Jamaica is a place that has evolved music and not the other way round. We have this thing reggae you know, the unique bouncing music with the sticky beat and emphasis on percussion. That is my style which happened to be from my origin Jamaica so yeah… You can call it original.
And when you have Jamaican men like Alton Ellis, Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Desmond Dekker, too much of an inspiration you see.
