Vishal-Shekhar, who had visited Los Angeles late last year, turned their meetings with American music producers into a biggie collaboration with Akon for Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One, in March, this year.
Now, just three months later, the duo has started working on music with Somalian-Canadian singer K’Naan. He’s the man behind the global chartbuster, the FIFA 2010 anthem, Wavin flag.
Says Vishal Dadlani, "I was in London to discuss another collaboration, and found myself sitting on the same table as K’Naan’s team. His manager, Sol Guy, suggested that we do something together. And now, we are!"
Fan of AB
K’Naan, in his first telephonic interview in India a couple of days ago, admitted that it was his “dream to be in a Bollywood film”.
He adds, “Initially, the idea was to do a Hindi remix of Wavin flag. But Vishal said that he’d rather do an original song than a remix. I appreciate this approach to the collaboration.”
{{/usCountry}}He adds, “Initially, the idea was to do a Hindi remix of Wavin flag. But Vishal said that he’d rather do an original song than a remix. I appreciate this approach to the collaboration.”
{{/usCountry}}The singer says that the technicalities of the partnership have yet to be figured out. But he is confident that he has a good sense of Bollywood rhythm and will not “hijack Hindi culture.” “I have grown up on Bollywood. I’m a fan of Amitabh Bachchan, and know the soundtrack of many 1980s Hindi movies, like Dil, by heart,” he says.
“The music from India has had an inherent influence on my music.”At the moment, the trio is exchanging ideas for the song, over the Internet. “We have sent K’Naan our compositions, and are jamming right now,” says Shekhar Ravjiani.
“We are really excited about this track, and want to bring K’Naan down to Mumbai to record it.” Dadlani adds that since both Ravjiani and he know the different genres of international pop and Indian music pretty well, the song should reflect both K’Naan’s and their vibe on the international music circuit. He asserts, “We promise, this is just the beginning.
Coming up
Vishal-Shekhar, who have Siddharth Anand’s Anjaana Anjaani, Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One, Danish Aslam’s Break Ke Baad and Tarun Mansukhani’s Dostana 2, lined up, haven’t decided yet on whether the song will make it to one of these albums or will be released as a single.