EXCLUSIVE| Zaeden on being the opening act for Maroon 5: I'll request Adam Levine to do some dance steps

Come December 3 and the American band Maroon 5 will serenade the Indian audience with their Mumbai concert. And singer Zaeden aka Sahil Sharma has become the only Indian artiste to have got the opportunity to be the opening act for them, and he is ecstatic about it. However, this isn’t the first collaboration between the two.

“We worked on this collaboration in 2017 for an official remix of one of their songs, Don't Wanna Know. So, that's how we established that connection. I haven’t had a chance to meet them yet, but it was just amazing to put my sonics in their song. I'm so blessed to be opening for one of my favorite artistes,” Zaeden says, adding that sharing the stage with the band will be a “dream” for him: “I would love to get Adam Levine’s perspective on Indian music and the independent scene here.”

Is he feeling the jitters before the performance? “I feel it's good to be nervous sometimes, that means you're doing something right. I am very excited to perform my new song Deewana. It will be out in December, but I will perform it for the first time even before release here. I'm going to be dancing to it as well and maybe, I'm going to request Adam Levine to do the dance steps,” he quips.

Being the only Indian artiste to be on that stage, Zaeden considers it a massive opportunity. “When one Indian artiste wins at an international level, it’s a win for everyone. In the last two to three years, India has seen a rapid musical growth. With the streaming platforms, music consumption has gone to another level, leading to a rise in independent artistes. We've seen a massive movement all across and with the diversification, comes freedom. When you are not ruled by labels and producers, you are truly able to express yourself. With our fan bases and popularity, we're finally able to reach the global stages. We’ve seen AP Dhillon playing at Coachella and now Hanumankind is doing that. It's like a collective win for everyone,” he says.

With acts like Maroon 5, Coldplay and Dua Lipa, among others coming to India, Zaeden sees it as a growth opportunity for national artistes. “When festivals of this scale happen, then the standard also goes to another level. When I see a Post Malone performing with insane visuals and everything, I, also, as an artiste wish to get to that level, so everything just gets elevated artistically. India has a long way to go when it comes to concert venues and other things related to infrastructure like online ticketing, but all of it is improving. In fashion, food, music and everything, all eyes are on India right now, and that’s why most of the international artistes want to come and do their shows here,” he insists.