EXCLUSIVE: Jay Sean Talks About His New 3 AM Entertainment Label & Shares Desire To Playback For Ranveer Singh

In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, singer Jay Sean expressed his views on South Asian representation on the global stage. He also discussed how Punjabi music has influenced his singing style.

By Anushka Solanki

Updated on Sep 11, 2024 | 06:42 PM IST | 46.1K

Jay Sean [Image Credit- 3AM Entertainment]

In an exclusive chat with Pinkvilla, British singer and musician Jay Sean discussed his musical journey through the years. He also spoke about South Asian representation in music. The singer shares his experience of growing from a humble background to the global stage. With his new single around the corner, Jay also shed light on collaborations with Indian stars and production houses.

Jay Sean is one of the most prominent names in the global music scene. With two decades in the industry, the singer, musician, and producer has a unique music style that showcases R&B, pop, and South Asian influences. Jay continues to thrive in his music career with the latest singles like Heartless and Piche Piche.

The musician rose to fame with his 2009 hit single Down, which topped the Billboard Hot 100, also making him the first solo artist of South Asian origin and the first UK urban act to top the chart. Here is Pinkvilla's Exclusive chat with Jay Sean on his journey.

Jay Sean [Image Credit- 3AM Entertainment]

1 - Please tell us about your attempts to bring music represented by the South Asians to the forefront, and what made you initiate this interesting effort.

I’ve been an artist in the music industry for 20 years now and in that time, I have seen very few South Asian artists break into the mainstream. Considering we are the largest population on Earth, it has always baffled me why there are not more of us in the mainstream. If K-pop, Afrobeats, and Latin music can all be represented at a mainstream level then why can’t artists from the South Asian diaspora? This has always been something I have felt passionate about, so I took it upon myself to create a platform to showcase the talent within the South Asian community and provide them with the opportunity to cross over and reach a global audience.

2 - While the world has indeed become smaller in the last many years, Indian cinema has always been known for its music and dance. The music represented by Raj Kapoor and Mukesh decades ago has been much loved in Western countries, and so have the creations backed by filmmakers like Yash Chopra. What kind of music from our region do you now plan to take global, and will it retain its Bollywood flavor?

The focus of our label, 3 AM Entertainment, is to sign talented acts, regardless of the genre of music. Whether it’s hip-hop, country, rock, R&B, Bollywood, or Punjabi, the list is endless. As long as the talent is there, we will aim to support that and provide an infrastructure for our artists so they can maintain their artistic integrity while working with a solid team who have many years of experience in the business. My partners at 3 AM Entertainment are my long-term musical collaborators, and we understand the DNA of hit records. We are always ‘music first.’ Our partners at Virgin Music Group and Range Media Partners also share our vision and provide an incredible ecosystem to support our goals.

Jay Sean [Image Credit- 3AM Entertainment]

3 - So many international artists have collaborated with Indian stars in the past. If there was one Indian actor, you would like to do playback for - who will it be and why?

Probably Ranveer Singh since he likes to rap and that’s where I began my musical journey. I’d picture a fun up-tempo song that he could bring a lot of energy to on screen.

4 - Which Indian music have you grown up listening to, and what was its impact on your musical journey?

Growing up in a Punjabi household, there were many musical influences in my childhood. Obviously, there was a lot of Bhangra music at weddings and such, as well as 90s Bollywood movies at home, which is probably one of my favorite genres of Indian music. The melodies and emotion of those 90s Bollywood songs have definitely influenced my songwriting. Films like Saajan and Aashiqui, as well as the classics like DDLJ were some of my favorites.

Jay Sean [Image Credit- 3AM Entertainment]

5 - Your song Heartless with Ikky was released this year. Which other international collaborations can we expect from you next?’

I just released a song called “Piche Piche” featuring a very talented artist from India called Jai Dhir. There are a few more collaborations on the upcoming album, but I won’t mention names just yet… let’s keep that as a surprise!