MUMBAI: India’s first YouTube Fanfest seemed to be the most ideal stage for YouTube singing sensation Shraddha Sharma to launch her debut studio album ‘Raastey’ under Universal Music, who took her under its wing six months ago. The album was launched by Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director, Universal Music.
The album has been produced by ace music composer Lesle Lewis and international music producer Jim Beanz. “He (Beanz) is a great to work with and has produced three very cool Hindi songs for us and Lesle has produced the other three.
Speaking about the her album, she said, “It is basically about the journey from my bedroom, where I would sit and sing in front of an iPhone 3Gs camera, to being signed by a music company, working on my debut album and recording my YouTube videos in front of HD cameras in the studio or on locations. It has become more professional because I have been signed to a company, who make videos for me,” said elated Shraddha just hours prior to her album launch.
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It seems that, where studios have a nice to ring to them, there is nothing like being in your comfort zone. “I was more comfortable at home. It was only Shradhha, then, with her guitar and the iPhone. It was a Chinese guitar which was for 2000 Rs. But it was very nice, haan! It served the purpose. My videos, then, were very raw and natural.
But working on this video with Lesle Lewis appears to have been quite fun for young Shraddha. “Lesle is a great person to work with. When it comes to work, he is a strict teacher. But when we were not working, we used to chill and eat a lot from Mc Donald’s and cheese, as you can see on my cheeks,” giggled Shraddha.
The young singer had been given a Fender guitar by Graham Perkins, Director for Market Development – Asia, Fender at the Nokia Music Connects 2013. Describing her relationship with her guitar, Shraddha chimed, “I love playing that guitar only. It has such a nice sound. I have named it Alexander, pet name Alex. I named it so because I feel Shradhha and Alexander can conquer the world together.”
When asked how she is handling the attention, Shradhha laughed nervously, “I think it is great to get the attention but sometimes. It feels nice when people run behind you screaming ‘Oh my God, Shraddha! I love you!’ but sometimes, it is very annoying. Sometimes you want some time with yourself and your friends. You want to get some inner peace.”Speaking about her expectations from her new album, Shraddha said, “My expectations, and those of Universal, are very high because, at the moment, everyone in India is chasing Bollywood. Ofcourse, Bollywood is a great platform but both of us want to make indepent music. The future is bright; the future is Indies. And we are promoting this slogan everywhere.”
When asked why they did not invite a celebrity to launch her album, she replied, “We do not believe in having celebrities launching albums. We have worked on it, so we will do it. But Universal’s MD Devraj Sanyal, my big brother, he is my celebrity and he will be launching the album with me.
The singer, who currently lives alone in Malad said, misses her mother. But she put on a brave smile and said, “All the people at Universal Music, who produced my album, treat me like a little daughter. I love them, they love me, I am happy.”
