Born in Sri Lanka and raised in the UK, Arjun is a rising international musician. His cover of ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ that was uploaded to YouTube helped kick-start his career. Since then, he has gone on to remix a number of popular Bollywood songs, earning him fans, admirers and even a few awards along the way. Not long ago, the singer/ songwriter penned a deal with T-Series and will soon release his debut album. Currently on world tour, Arjun talks to Radioandmusic.com about his label deal with T-Series, his upcoming release and more.
Excerpts:
How did your music journey start?
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I have loved music from a very young age. At school I was lucky enough to win a music scholarship and so I learnt as many instruments as I could – the piano, guitar, drums, bass, flute, saxophone etc. At university I started producing music and writing songs for other artistes. I was in various bands but I was initially too shy to be on stage as a lead singer. Eventually my friends forced me to sing and I ended up winning a big talent show in the UK. I then slowly began to build a following in the British Asian scene.
How did your deal with T-series happen? Who approached you?
I have been making English R&B remixes of Bollywood songs for the past two years, some of which include ‘Teri Meri’, ‘Tum Hi Ho’ and ‘Chammak Challo’, all of which are from the T-Series catalogue. I believe T-Series came across my work on YouTube. I think they saw potential for my kind of music and realised that there was a scope to take my music to the next level. They got in touch, one thing lead to another and I ended up signing with them officially in January this year.
Tell us a little more about your upcoming album
My first album with T-Series is a Fusion album, which will feature a range of Pop Ballads, R&B/Hip-Hop tracks and EDM numbers, all with a mixture of English and Hindi. T-Series has given me complete creative control. I am the music director for the album and every song on it has been written, composed and produced by me.
Have you collaborated with any artists on it?
Yes I have featured a few artists from the UK and Canada on the album. I think it is great that more and more Asian artists from outside India are being given a chance to gain exposure in India. The British Asian scene is where I have come from and it has been my main pillar of support, so I will always remain true to my roots and give back where I can. I do also think that the independent music scene in India is growing and it is great to see non-playback artists beginning to get recognition for their work.
Do you see yourself working on anything other than remixes, maybe acoustic?
Yes actually the guitar is my main instrument and there are some chilled out guitar numbers I am working on. I am also working on an album of entirely original material, written and produced by myself. This will be predominantly Pop/R&B but with an Asian influence.
What kind of music inspires your music?
I am most inspired by 90s R&B music, but to be honest I love music of all genres. I have been in Heavy Metal bands, Jazz bands, Western Classical orchestras – so if it is good music then I like it! My love for Bollywood music is a little more recent because I grew up listening mostly to Western R&B and Pop. I think my friends and peers are the reason I love Bollywood now!
Who are your favourite musicians?
In the western world I look up to producers such as Pharrell, Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins (Darkchild) and Ryan Leslie. In the east I would say the likes of AR Rahman, Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar and Salim-Sulaiman!
How is your current tour coming along? Have there been any memorable experiences?
I have been touring pretty consistently for the past two years and have been fortunate enough to perform all over the world. A few stand-out experiences for me would be performing at the Asian Music Awards at Wembley Arena where I was lucky enough to win ‘Best Urban Act’ and performing at the opening of the Sri Lankan Premier League in Colombo. I have also had a great time performing in countries such as the US, Canada, India, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Australia, New Zealand. The list goes on; to be honest I love most of the places I have performed.
Will you be partnering with any music directors for your upcoming projects?
I would love to. I am a big fan of the music directors I mentioned – AR Rahman, Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar, Salim-Sulaiman. And since I have signed with T-Series, which is producing so many films and is already working with major composers, I am looking forward to my Bollywood break soon.
