Taking the music industry by storm in the last few years both in the UK and across the world, Arjun is a name fans of good music should be getting familiar with.
Arjun
We got the opportunity to put some questions to Arjun about his latest track 'Frozen', his album plans and more in a new and exclusive interview.
For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe yourself as an artist?
A London-bred singer, songwriter and producer who makes a fusion of R&B, pop and Asian music.
How important is it for you to maintain creative control over the music you put out?
It's very important. The majority of the music I have released has been written and produced by me, and put out entirely on my own terms. But having said that, it's great to have creative input from other parties too. Since signing a record deal in India, it's been great having some guidance from my team out there as to what will work for the wider global Asian audience. They have definitely helped with A&R side of things for my international Asian project.
You worked with Sway on new track 'Frozen', what was that experience like?
It was great. He is just a really nice, positive person and has great energy. He is also very wise having spent many years in the game, and has given me a lot of solid advice. Being Ghanaian, he also understands the value of representing your community and bringing your ethnicity into your music. Sway is someone whom I've had on my wishlist to collaborate with for a long time, so it was great to make it happen.
How have you found the response from listeners to the track and music video?
So 'Frozen' is very different to the music I've been putting out for the last few years. There is no obvious Asian sound to it other than a few Indian classical vocal runs. The fanbase that I've built has been used to me delivering Hindi Fusion music so I think it came as a bit of a shock to them. But saying that, it has been very well received, particularly by fans in the UK and US. I think they have appreciated the fact that I'm trying to push the envelope a little more and get a bit more creative with the visuals.
I'm used to my videos hitting millions of views in a short time and to be honest, that hasn't happened with 'Frozen'. But like I said, it's a new direction for me and I put this song out almost as a feeler track. 'Frozen' is basically, ironically, a warm up for the R&B project that I hope to release later this year.
If you could work with anybody going forward on new material, who would you choose and why?
Bryson Tiller, because he is dope! In the world of R&B, his music excites me the most at the moment.
You're playing the BBC Asian Network Live on April 30 - what should those coming to that gig expect?
Yes indeed. It's being billed as the biggest Asian event of the year in the UK. It's a great line up of Asian and non-Asian acts... The likes of Fuse ODG are also on the bill. I will be performing a mixture of new R&B material along with some of my signature fusion tracks. Should be a great show!
What can you tell us about your forthcoming album scheduled for release later this year?
I am very excited about it, but to be honest I've been saying that it's gonna come out every year for the last four years, so don't wanna jinx it! But yeah I am looking forward to finally releasing a body of work that fully represents me and what I'm about. It's been a long time coming and I think the fans are getting impatient.
Do you have any definitive aims or goals for your career going forward?
I would like to release my mainstream album as I mentioned. That would be the main goal, but also continuing to grow in the Asian market, as well as hopefully collaborating with more exciting artists from both worlds. I've been fortunate enough to tour the world for the last four years and we've now covered every continent, but there are still important territories we haven't done, so those are on my list too.
Should we expect a UK headline tour at some point in the near future?
I've done a lot of shows up and down the UK but never a structured tour. It's something I have been looking to do for a while so hopefully once the album is out, we will make it happen!