Preeya
Preeya’s first single ‘Shimmy’ features the UK’s answer to Sean Paul, the hotly tipped Mumzy Stranger. An out of the box smash in the wings, the track takes you on a journey through the dancefloor.
As Preeya explains - ‘When we were in the studio and we started laying it down, building it, it just became so sassy. It’s total escapism, a real brew of sexyness and ethnicity. Having Mumzy on the record has given it a real energy and I hope people will really be able to relate to it’.
Written by Celetia Martin and Alex James, and produced by Kalle Engstrom, the track has also been remixed by Rishi Rich, one of the key figures in the industry responsible for driving through British Asian talent, most notably Jay Sean. For Preeya, it’s now about unleashing her inner self, writing and creating music that she always aspired to do.
Looking back, she can trace her interest in the more fabulous end of performance and presentation back to her own childhood, in the multi-cultural suburbs of London. ‘Watching glamorous women performing always captivated me somehow. One of my earliest memories was watching Madonna on Top Of The Pops, just entranced. They all fell into place after that. For me I’ve always admired iconic, strong, talented women. That’s what its all been about’. Sparkle and stardust. Diamonds and pearls. A red carpet for every occasion. This was the stuff of the young Preeya’s dreams.
However Preeya has recognised that there was a void when she was growing up; ‘I didn’t register it when I was very young but all the women who were most aspirational to me were non-Asian.’ As a teenager she began to think about the conundrum more. Where were the real-life role models for young Asian girls that had been brought up respectful of their heritage but inured by and open to the Western dream of being a superstar?
Preeya might just have turned herself into the role model she missed out on having as a child and teen. ‘I am respectful of my heritage. But I want to play it out on my terms.’
She certainly has.
Get Ready. Preeya is about to be unleashed.