People in Bengaluru are in tune with music: DJ Shadow Dubai

Satheerth Kunneth, known by his stage name DJ Shadow Dubai, has been on a roll this year with multiple releases and shows. As part of a multi-city tour, the artiste was in Bengaluru for a performance over the weekend. And yet again, the city’s audience left him impressed with its acceptance and understanding of “all kinds of genres”.

“I think the people here are very in tune with music. I can play any kind of song, old or new, and they will know how to groove to it. They are very warm and accepting of all kinds of genre. That’s the best thing about this city. And of course, the weather,” says the artiste, known for the track Slowly Slowly, for which he collaborated with rapper Pitbull and singer Guru Randhawa.

In fact, Kunneth feels people across the country are gradually becoming “more appreciative of live shows” ever since the pandemic put things on a temporary standstill. The 38-year-old tells us, “I see shows that are jam-packed this year as compared to the previous years. This is mainly because people couldn’t step out for two years and they now want to experience it all.”

While this growing enthusiasm is great news for artistes, the changing times require them to adapt and upskill as well. Social media, for instance, has a huge role to play in adding to one’s popularity today, and making good use of it is essential, feels Kunneth. “I think it has become tougher for music producers now. At first, we needed to focus on just one full-length song. But now, we also have to focus on a shorter snippet of it for social media, to make sure they both work well. The 10-second snippet or reel should be catchy enough to get the attention of the listener. Considering the way they can go viral, it is really important to get going with the times,” he says.

On the work front, the DJ is busy promoting his newest single, Casanova, for which he has collaborated with rappers Yo Yo Honey Singh and Lil Pump. “By the end of this year, you will see a collaboration with Jason Derulo (singer-songwriter), in which he’s sung a few words in Hindi as well,” says Kunneth, who is also looking forward to the launch of his autobiography soon.