Had no clue how much India would change me: Marshmello

Electronic dance music DJ-producer Marshmello, who has collaborated with Bollywood composer Pritam for "Biba", says India has left an indelible impact on his life.

"I went to India for the first time ever a few years ago and I had no clue how much it would change me. The amount of love, strength and compassion the people of India have is remarkable," Marshmello said in a statement.

"I've never been somewhere where I felt so appreciated and loved by so many and from that moment on it became one of my favourite places and I always wanted to do something for the culture," he added.

Entirely in Hindi, "Biba", brought out by JioSaavn and powered by Artist Originals, can be called Marshmello's most directly cross-cultural project to date.

"When I connected with Pritam, I told him we have to do something fun together, something that makes you want to get up and dance and I think 'Biba' is perfectly that. I'm excited for the world to hear it," added the international artiste.

As part of the collaboration, Marshmello will perform select shows in India. Fans can catch him at Supersonic Arena in Hyderabad (February 15); Huda Grounds in New Delhi (February 16); and Supersonic Festival in Pune (February 17).

The uplifting, romantic track combines the pure emotion and joy of Bollywood with Marshmello's contemporary production. The track also features Indo-Kiwi artiste and YouTube phenomenon Shirley Setia.

Pritam said: "Marshmello's team and I wanted to collaborate on music that would be very popular and still retain that Indian sound, something that could play at weddings. I enjoyed working on 'Biba' with him and the experience allowed me to see why he is the biggest music producer."

The video for the song is directed by Punit Malhotra, who is also helming "Student of the Year 2" in May.

Gaurav Sharma, Chief Operating Officer, JioSaavn, said: "When I first met Moe Shalizi (Marshmello's manager), he told me he grew up in a house that had 'Devdas' and SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) movies playing all day.

"Music is an incredible way for cultures to connect and find common ground, and that was really the genesis of all of this. Mello wanted to make music that was authentic to India for the millions of fans he had here. He wanted to be part of the culture - not just feature in it, and that meant a lot to us."

--IANS

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