After dropping popular singles Tere Bina, Dooriyan and Kya Karoon?, producer turned singer-songwriter Zaeden has launched an album, Genesis 1:1, in honour of his 26th birthday. As a producer he performed at international festivals such as Tomorrowland and Marenostrum, and played in clubs such as Ushuaïa, Pacha, and Privilege in Ibiza. But his music as a singer is much more intimate and and personal. We speak to the artiste about this transition, and how the album is his "grand restart":
When we spoke last, you were new to being a singer-songwriter. How has the journey been so far now?
The journey has honestly been insane. When I started out as a singer/songwriter, naturally, I was a little nervous and scared. There was this huge transition happening in my career and I had a lot of doubts in my head. Gradually, after releasing tracks and getting an overwhelming response from my fans, I gained that trust and confidence in myself and since then I have never looked back.
Tell us about a few of the collaborations on this album.
I have collaborated with some of the top artistes and producers in the game. Yashraj, Kunaal Vermaa, Hanita Bhambri, Nishu from Parekh and Singh, AAKASH, Somanshu and Polar - all of these artists have played a huge role in the making of Genesis 1:1. I believe collaborations always add spark to a track and it’s such a wonderful way to explore new sounds as well as styles. It was great to work with the artists and I hope to collaborate with them in the near future too.
What themes have you sung about?
I’ve explored a spectrum of emotions - crushes, heartbreaka and puppy love - that find their way into everyone’s life at some point of time. Each sentiment brings with it a journey of exploring, searching and accepting - all of which I’ve tried to infer from personal experiences and capture, both lyrically and musically in each track comprising Genesis 1:1.
The last year has been extremely challenging and spending most of my time alone, I faced a mirror of my internal emotions more often than I was ever used to. This period of emotional upheaval also got me thinking about my purpose as a musician and what I can do to polish my craft, for myself and my fans. I view Genesis 1:1 as my grand restart, where I took a leap of faith to launch a cohesive album in an EP-dominated world, to give my fandom a view into my life and thoughts, albeit sonically. I hope to continue on this new journey of betterment that I have embarked upon, with the support of my family, friends and fans - who are biggest critics and at the same time - my pillars of strength - for which, I will forever be grateful.
Could you also tell us more about the collaborations with designers Shantanu & Nikhil, and Siddhartha Tytler?
I collaborated with Shantanu & Nikhil right after the release of my debut single Tere Bina and it was a one of a kind experience, the first time we (S&N and I) spoke, our fashion sensibilities matched and I really loved the collection they wanted me showcase.
And with Siddhartha Tytler, he knows what fashion means to me as an artiste, I ended up wearing one of his black jackets for my album photoshoot and as soon as I saw the final images, it turned out to my album cover. All in all, I think fashion is an extension to my art, I feel like besides music, if there’s something I have my keen eyes on it’s fashion.
You told us that you had your eyes on Bollywood music as well. Is that going to happen soon?
I’ve always said that I’m open to all kinds of music styles and genres. I love this new wave of music in the Bollywood music scene. So many upcoming artistes are out there and it makes me so happy to see them flourish in the industry. As far as my entry in the industry is concerned, might just happen soon, you never know!
Genesis 1:1 is available on online streaming platforms