A night of tropics and dancehall with Jillionaire

Ahead of his Sunburn Reload set, the musician talks about being the product of his environment and how that shapes his music

Memorable riddim Christopher Leacock aka Jillionaire

This weekend Hyderabadis will be privy to a unique blend of indie dance and big room house along with with the Caribbean rhythms of dancehall and soca, courtesy DJ Jillionaire.

The Trinidad-born artiste is totally hyped for his on-going tour, though this isn’t his first India rodeo. “It’s good to be back in India. I’ve had a great trip so far, and looking forward to my first time in Hyderabad.”

In 2011, Jillionaire joined EDM-trio Major Lazer, whose tracks

Lean On and

Cold Water continue to frequent our daily playlists. He considers making the video for

Lean On , which was produced by Mikhail Mehra, Akshay Multani and Per Welen, a real turning point in his career. It was shot during his first India tour in 2015, marking a sentimental precipice too. The 40-year-old confides that there’s still so much to learn and his travels have shaped his sound in special ways: , “I’m a product of my environment, and I like to explore as much as possible, both musically and environmentally. During my last trip to India I stayed an extra day to visit the Taj Mahal, and this time I’ve already been to the Mussoorie mountains and the river Ganga. I take all of these experiences and the sounds that I hear and apply them to my craft.”

Solo endeavours

In fact, while you wait for the concert, have a gander of Jillionaire’s ultra-chill Instagram posts and have a listen to his SoundCloud for more of his solo endeavours.

Listening to

Sunrise featuring Fuse ODG and Fatman Scoop will have your foot tapping and head bobbing with the dancehall-infusions for which he is celebrated. “

Sunrise is particularly special to me because I’ve been a big fan of Fat Man Scoop for a while and I’d been looking forward to reuniting with Fuse ODG after

Light It Up . Additionally, the video was filmed in Senegal which is one of the African countries that I really would like to visit this year.”

Prior to prepping for a set, Jillionaire — whose real name is Christopher Leacock — adds that, “I try to spend some time with local DJs or producers in order to find out what are the local songs or remixes that are doing well, and find a way to incorporate them into my track list.” He adores the openness and true passion Indian fans have for music, as do a lot of visiting DJs from all over the worlds. That doesn’t put him off challenging the crowds, though. “I try to improvise as much as possible, in order to surprise the audience, mixing up the hits with some local songs or remixes. I try to do things a bit differently every night, so that each show is a unique experience.”

We imagine quite a packed venue given the forever burgeoning popularity of tropical-infused tunes in India, and Jillionaire knows not to disappoint.

Jillionaire will be playing at TOT, Road No. 10, Jubilee Hills, on May 12 from 7pm. For tickets, call 92495 99999 or book atBookMyShow.