Shaan Singh’s rules of engagement

One of India’s youngest DJs, Shaan Singh, on why he responds to Instagram DMs and how to approach the music industry

February 09, 2018 04:14 pm | Updated 04:14 pm IST

One boring evening, when Shaan Singh was around 14 years old, he started messing around with a DJ console he found in his house. “It was a Denon 3500,” he recalls. The son of Shailendra Singh, mastermind behind the Sunburn festival, he was no stranger to the music industry. He spun a few tracks, and was soon hooked.

“Becoming an artiste wasn’t one of my goals at all! I always wanted to be a sportsman, or do something physical more than creative. Music was always a big part of my life — I even played the trombone when I was in the high school band,” says the DJ and producer, who at 15, debuted at Sunburn in Goa.

His latest track, End of the World, has 9,73,000 views since its launch late last year. “It’s a house number, a proper dance song, not pop or radio. I had about five or six versions of the song, and it took about two years before the vocals and lyrics clicked emotionally. Only then was I happy releasing it,” says Shaan.

The number game

The 23-year-old DJ and producer has built up an impressive resumé: first Indian to perform at EDM festival Tomorrowland, performed with Martin Garrix, DJ Snake, KSHMR and headlined several tours across Asia. On social media too, the numbers are impressive: around 3.16 lakh likes on Facebook, over 70,800 Instagram followers and his songs were streamed over four million times on Spotify and SoundCloud.

“Social media really helped me become a big part of the game and it took marketing to a wider audience. People generally look for the most entertaining content, because it gives them something to look forward to,” he says. For this reason, he doesn’t shy away from replying to DMs and engaging with his fans. “I don’t like being one of those people who are hard to reach. I wouldn’t be anywhere without my fans, so I would like them to be a part of my journey rather than just watch me grow,” he explains.

So it’s not just beautifully shot photos of him playing at various venues; Shaan also shares vlogs to keep followers posted on his life. “I get so many inspiring stories and encouraging comments; why would I want to skip out on that?” he asks, adding that these messages really make his day and get him excited about his job.

Brand value

While he understands that it is part of the online aspect of his career, he does not enjoy checking the stats and engagement numbers of his pages. “I just want to post good stuff and not worry about it, but I have come to accept it,” he says, with the hint of a sigh. “It does get in the way of real-life interactions, and my friends tend to get annoyed. For the general public, who don’t have to care about these numbers, I would say, don’t get caught up in them. Simply enjoy what you do and share on social media; the rest will take care of itself,” he says.

With his large following, endorsement and influencer opportunities were not far behind. He has worked with brands like Puma, Paul Smith, Skybags, Mix Mag, G-Star RAW, Sunburn and Ice Watch. “Whatever I’m endorsing has to fit me as a person. But sometimes, even if it does not click instantly, I do a campaign if it looks good,” he says, citing the example of a Halloween campaign for Budweiser India where he had to face his own worst irrational fear. “It was out of my comfort zone, but it showed a new perspective of me. So I went ahead and did it,” he says.

Industry vibes

In earlier interviews, Shaan has never shied away from the fact that he had an advantage getting into music thanks to his father, but reiterates that his work was good enough to sustain him past that. He finds that with social media giving direct access to people in the industry, young musicians should capitalise on it.

However there is a professional way to go about it, he says, explaining, “Right now, there are a lot of DMs and messages I get on Instagram, sharing demos and music. If I have chatted with you earlier, I might listen. If I don’t know you, and you say, ‘Hey bro, listen to my new song’, I’m not going to!”

He is critical of the “casualness” that has crept into the industry. “Don’t send one-liners. In your e-mail, tell me your story, what you do, how old you are. So when I listen to your track, I can be like, ‘This guy is working/studying, and he’s only a teenager, but he has put up this beautiful track’. Give me a reason to listen to your work,” he says, breathless by the end of this passionate outburst.

Shaan is excited for a project that’s coming up in March, but is warned by his PR manager to “keep it a surprise”. He relents, ending the conversation with, “All I can tell you is that it’s an Indian release. Although that sounds very Bollywood, it isn’t. It’s not what you would expect… Alright, I talk a lot, I just might give it away! You just have to wait and see.”

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