In the early 2000s, Shael Oswal announced his arrival on the then-thriving Indie pop scene with popular albums like ‘Dud’ and ‘Kahan Hai Tu’. He went on to deliver several hit albums and tracks over the years. ‘Soniye Hiriye’ from the album ‘Aitbaar’ remains one of his biggest hits as a singer. After being active as a singer-musician for years, Shael has now forayed into film production with SSO Productions, a company co-founded by him and wife Samiksha Oswal.
In this interview, he talks about his journey in the music industry, how digital revolution has contributed to the growth of independent music, plans as a producer and more.
‘Mann Baawra’, your last released single, has crossed 50 million views on YouTube. Your wife Samiksha Oswal conceptualized and directed the music video and it was produced by the both of you. What was the process of working on this track like?
Working on ‘Mann Baawra’ was quite a memorable experience as it is a romantic song with several emotions attached to it. The song has a melancholic feel to it as well. It has been composed by Rashid Khan and programmed by Aditya Dev. It was the first time I worked with them and I had a great experience. They understood what I wanted from the song and did a brilliant job with it. My wife Sameksha had a beautiful idea for the video and she managed to execute it very well. We went to Ladakh and shot the video over a period of three days.
You released the song on your YouTube channel. The audio track is streaming on all leading platforms as well. You started out as a singer when one had to buy cassettes and CDs to listen to music. Now, everything has gone digital. How do you look at this shift?
Initially, it was a little difficult for me to accept the change but now, I have got used to it. While the distribution platforms have changed, the process of making a song has remained the same. For an artist, things are much easier now. They can make music in their home studio and release it without the support of a big label. So many wonderful artists have become popular because of digital media.
You have co-founded SSO Productions with your wife Samiksha Oswal. What are your plans as a producer?
At SSO Productions, our focus is on producing films. We have already completed a film which is in the post-production stage now. Right now, our objective is to produce films for OTT platforms. In the near future, we might produce films for theatrical exhibition as well. SSO Productions will produce both films and music videos.
Though you come from a business family, you had largely worked as a singer and musician in the entertainment industry. Did you face any difficulties or challenges while setting up your production house?
The process was not very tough. Years back, my family had produced ‘Pinjar’ (2003). It was completely my father’s baby. The film featured actors like Manoj Bajpayee and Urmila Matondkar and had won a National Award. My father had met Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi and expressed his interest in making a film with him. After that film, the company was shut down for some time. My wife and I have revived it with a new name.
You have lent to your voice to some many chartbusters but ‘Soniye Hiriye’, perhaps, the most popular song sung by you? What are your memories of working on that track?
‘Soniye Hiriye’ proved to be a turning point for me as a singer. Before this song came along, I was doing mostly peppy numbers. ‘Soniye Hiriye’ came out in 2006 when remixes where at their peak. Vidyut da, who had composed the track, came up to me and asked me to hear it. I wondered whether a romantic track would work in such times. However, he was very confident and said that I must sing it. ‘Soniye Hiriye’ was the beginning of me singing love ballads. Since then, I have mostly sung romantic numbers.