"Appreciate Your Fans, Engage With The Community, And Learn As You Go Along”-Shaan Kambil

Shaan Kambli is an independent artist whose music has gained international traction, from Brazil to South Korea. A finalist in NEXA Music’s Top 24, he has amassed nearly 3 million views on Sweeter Than Sound. With a growing audience and collaborations with A.R. Rahman, Kambli continues to explore his sound and expand his reach.

In an exclusive interview, rising star Shaan Kambli shares insights into his musical journey.

Here are edited excerpts:

Q1.From NEXA Music’s Top 24 to nearly 3M views on Sweeter Than Sound, how has your journey as an independent artist evolved?

These days I’m living and breathing the tone that I’m writing. Recent songs I’ve written have dictated my sense of style too. In that sense, music has moved from performance/recording into an absolute way of life for me. The evolution is the change in my relationship with the art- because while I always loved music, it wasn’t always this intimate. Music used to be something I enjoyed, that I wanted to get right and do well at. Today it follows me everywhere and helps me understand who I am. It’s absolutely amazing to see Sweeter Than Sound connect with so many people, because it feels like I’ve shared a part of my attitude in that song. That’s made my connection with my listeners even more meaningful to me.

Q2.Your music is gaining traction internationally, from Brazil to South Korea—how do you approach global audience engagement?

It’s been such an awesome surprise with Brazil, South Korea and Japan too. I love seeing the reels people make using the song audio, I always keep an eye out for those and repost things often. I’ve also been getting some Portuguese and Korean comments- I try to respond in the same language as the original comment and I think I’m slowly getting better at Portuguese- long way to go though!

Q3.What roles have digital marketing and streaming platforms played in expanding your reach beyond India?

I remember reaching out to one of Brazil’s local streaming platforms Palco MP3 on a total whim. I was surprised when they wrote back (because I would send out a lot of emails and not get many replies- guess that’s the entrepreneurial life starting out haha). I was later featured on their home page and their playlists. All totally out of the blue. I guess you never know how things can work out. Cheers to the Palco MP3 team for being such awesome folks.

Q4.Collaborating with NEXA Music and A.R. Rahman is a huge milestone—how has this experience shaped your career?

It was my first time recording in a professional studio environment, and my first time filming on set with a team. It gave me an idea of the time and effort a serious project demands, and I loved every second of it. That realization specifically was the major pay-off for me- that I loved the work. It made me believe I made the right decision taking music, and inspired me to keep going.

Q5.For aspiring independent artists, what key strategies do you recommend for breaking into the global music scene?

Starting out can be scary because it’s your face and your voice being seen and heard by so many people you don’t know, but it’s a lot of fun once you take the leap. Go through your artist accounts to get a feel of which countries seem most receptive to your music- build a data-driven hypothesis and run a campaign to explore that. Rinse and repeat and you’ll find answers to your questions before you know it. 

Also, quality matters a lot more than people care to talk about. In my experience, the most helpful thing is to spend time alone with your instrument- explore fearlessly and do not judge yourself. Loud mistakes in the studio are the best way to level up. A strong song will always have people running to Shazam.