In Bangkok for a brief one-off show, the British singersongwriter, rapper and producer talks about his career and future plans
R&B fans in Bangkok got close and personal with Indian born British singer Jay Sean at his miniconcert at Fallabella on Wednesday.
The first South Indian artist to achieve global popularity, the aspiring song writer, singer and producer wowed fans with his energetic live performance and hits like "Down", "All Or Nothing", "Cry", "My Own Way" and "On And On".
Sean gave us an exclusive interview yesterday at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel before leaving town.
What are you working on?
I'm releasing a new single called "2012". It was written after I'd seen the movie and I just wanted to tell the people that that's not it - it's not the end of the world and everyone should continue living and enjoying life.
Do you still work on your label?
I did, but not anymore. I'm now signed to Cash Money Records. It has more power with Cash Money rather than diluting the power we have together. What I'm doing now is setting up a new label with Cash Money to sign new acts - that's more powerful.
What do you look for?
Anything that I find interesting - it could be a girl band, solo, a rapper, a 12-year-old girl. I'm constantly looking, I look on You Tube and I love what people are doing with music. Sometimes people do covers of my songs. It's a great way to spot a challenge.
Would you take on your Indian roots?
I have the responsibility to do that. I can pretend that I don't care and just think about myself, or I can recognise the fact that I'm the first of my kind who's doing it. I can open doors to the rest of my community. I'm Indian in my roots, and I have a lot of fans in Asia because they are also minority in a way. So they look at me as someone who's representing them too - whether they're Japanese, Korean, Thai or Indian. I'm ready to open the door and tell the mainstream world about our culture, tell them that we also have a lot in common with them and we can be great actors and musicians. I don't want us to be judged on the cliche things that we do, it's about opening their eyes.
How do the people in India take your music?
They're proud of me. Again, I look like them and I do something pretty cool. They might not have the chance to sing like Akon or be on stage with Beyonce but I did it. So I'm representing them. And they find that very inspiring. I like entertaining.
What entertains you?
Film is a great escape. I'm not really into sports. I love to watch films. I love to laugh a lot and I really enjoy dramas with a wel-lscripted story line. And I enjoy great company and a good place to eat.
How have you changed since you became a singer?
I've matured a lot in many different ways. As an artist and a lover of music, I've seen how the music industry has changed. Luckily, my friends told me "you're still the same idiot as in high school." Why can it change you and how? It can change you if you start believing that you're bigger or better than you really are.
Who's your best friend in the music scene?
People I'm closest to in the scene would be Sean Paul, Craig David and people from the label. Akon's very cool, too. They've been in the game for so long they end up being the coolest. They've seen the ups and downs - they know what actually is important. I learn from them, see how they carry themselves and ask questions all the time. And I learn that fans are really, really important. Longevity and the grace of being successful is what I'm trying to come to.
What're you up to next?
I'm off to Malaysia after this, then I will have about week of writing. For me I really want to concentrate on writing and spend more time in the studio because I want to write songs for other people, too.