Apashe: My first trip to India was a dream come true

Belgian musician Apashe talks about his bond with India and why he didn’t watch Coldplay, DJ Snake and Marshmello’s music videos before shooting his track.

Belgian musician Apashe shot his single, Gasoline, in India recently. While the country has been a favourite shoot destination for several international musicians, including Coldplay, DJ Snake and Marshmello, Apashe’s reason for shooting here was different. “This was my first trip to India and it was a dream come true. My grandfather is from Goa, so I grew up hearing all the stories from him and my mum, who used to visit frequently. It always felt like a part of our history was left there and it really made me eager to visit India. We chose to include scenes from New Delhi where Raga (Indian musician and his collaborator on the video) is from and the rest was shot in Rajasthan and Mumbai. Rajasthan had the perfect moody landscapes and Mumbai was the perfect location for a dance sequence in an epic Bollywood-film style,” says the music producer.

Apashe

Ask if music videos shot by other international musicians also encouraged him to shoot here and the 31-year-old says, “I try not to look at other artistes’ work, as I don’t want to be influenced by anyone. For me, originality is key and I wanted to make an Indian music video that feels different. One that would fit with my universe, yet had an Indian influence.”

He enjoyed spending two weeks near Goa where his family lives and Apashe hopes to “return to India for a performance” soon. Talking about his love for Bollywood, he adds, “I’m really fond of older Bollywood music. It sounds so different; it’s a sample goldmine. Among Indian musicians, I enjoy Raga, Divine, RANJ, Sidhu Moosewala and Rashmeet Kaur’s music.”