“Brands And Artists Are Finally Recognizing The Power Of Long-Term Music Integration": Shamir Tandon

Shamir Tandon is an acclaimed Indian music composer and director known for his distinctive sound in Indian cinema. Making his debut as a music director with Raveena Tandon’s Stumped in 2003, he has since created memorable scores for films such as Page 3, Traffic Signal, Inkaar, Bal Ganesh, Mission Istaanbul, and Corporate, earning a reputation for his versatility and innovative approach to music.

In this exclusive interview with Loudest.in, Shamir Tandon talks about his trailblazing international collaborations, multi-artist projects like Ek Aur Baar Kishore Kumar, and his vision for India’s evolving music scene.

Here are edited excerpts:

Independent music is seeing a massive resurgence with artists going global from India. How do you see this shift impacting the way music directors like you approach collaborations and A&R today?

Actually, I don’t know if this will sound immodest, but I genuinely believe I was one of the first music directors and composers in India to do legitimate international collaborations. Earlier, a lot of people would simply lift music and put their own names on it. I can proudly say I helped formalize and legitimize true collaborations  and I’ll give you a few examples.

One of the big early ones was with the UK boy band Blue. The song One Love (“One love is all we need…”) became huge. I brought in my dear friend Sean ,earlier known as Shantanu Mukherjee, to collaborate with Blue, and that was one of the first proper Indo-international partnerships.

I also did two collaborations for the film Bluffmaster, including “Sabse Bada Rupaiya,” and Saina… Saina, how you said it to me, which were all official, credited collaborations with Western singers , done with full permissions, clearances, and equal credit.

Another notable one was Enrique Iglesias collaborating with Sunidhi Chauhan on “Heartbeat.” These were done in the early 2000s, well before international collabs became the norm. I also worked on projects involving Robbie Williams with Asha Bhosle, and Brett Lee with Asha Bhosle.

All of these were executed with the complete blessings of the artists, their management teams, music labels, and all stakeholders. That’s why these collaborations turned into such happy, positive journeys.

I never put my name down as the 'music director' for these tracks, because I wasn’t directing the music in the traditional sense ,I was collaborating, curating, co-composing, and bringing creative energies together.

Today, I’m very glad to see so many people doing this. It should’ve been the norm long ago. Collaborations , whether within India across our diverse regions, or with artists around the world , always enrich the music. And now, international artists increasingly want to work with us because India is a huge, influential market.

I’m really happy with how things are shaping up.

Streaming platforms have changed listener behaviour dramatically,shorter attention spans, faster consumption cycles. How has this altered your approach to composing and producing?

Digital service providers, streaming platforms, and other places where music is consumed do give us data and metrics that we’re expected to follow. But fortunately, I’ve never really followed them too closely.

As creators, I believe it’s our responsibility to make what we truly feel, because creation, at its core, is a process of happiness. You don’t feel fulfilled by creating something just because numbers or algorithms suggest it. And this is coming from someone who is, by qualification, an accountant , finance and numbers are in my blood. Yet when it comes to the creative process, I’m not very obedient.

I don’t like forcing data, statistics, or analytics into songwriting. There was a time when people said that adding a few English words would make a Hindi song more popular. Then came the trend of one-word hooks , like Munni Badnaam, Sheila Ki Jawani, Dhoom Machale, or even Himesh Reshammiya’s signature repetitive phrases.

These formulas worked for some songs, but that doesn’t mean all of us need to follow them. If a piece of poetry demands depth and a mukammal (complete) expression, then that’s what we should honour.

That’s the space I come from  and that’s the kind of music I’ve always enjoyed creating.

Your latest project, Ek Aur Baar Kishore Kumar, has been praised for its fresh, youthful sound. What was the creative vision behind this?

This project is very special to me because I’ve been fortunate to work on initiatives that create real impact and leave behind a legacy. For instance, about a decade ago, I had the opportunity to create India’s first transgender band, The 6-Pack Band. The social impact it generated was immense , so much so that the government took notice and eventually amended national policy.

After that, we created another band featuring children with mental health challenges , kids on the autism spectrum, as well as those with dyslexia and ADHD. The transgender band went on to win the Grand Prix Glass Lion at the Cannes Festival , an award that isn’t given every year, only when a piece of creative work delivers significant social impact. I’m probably the only composer from this part of the world to have received it. Interestingly, the project received more global recognition than domestic.

More recently, Devraj Sanyal, Sanujit, and Gaurav Chaturvedi from Universal Music approached me with the idea of reviving Kishore Kumar’s legacy for Millennials and Gen Z. We wanted to reintroduce Kishore Kumar to younger listeners without resorting to covers or remixes , which, frankly, I consider a cuss word.

That’s how Ek Aur Baar Kishore Kumar was born. We retained Kishore Kumar’s original vocals , no AI, no manipulation, just his pure voice recorded four decades ago. Instead of recreations, we invited today’s young singers to jam with him, creating true duets.

Artists like Nikita Gandhi, Neeti Mohan, Vishal Mishra, Harshdeep Kaur, and the popular Nandi Sisters have all sung alongside Kishoreda. We also have voices like Jyoti Nooran and Mame Khan. In total, 11 singers recorded 11 duets , one each with Kishore Kumar. The result is magical: Kishore Kumar sounds as fresh and relevant as ever, and the contemporary singers sound completely authentic, as though they’re standing next to him in the studio.

People have embraced the project globally, especially because listeners are exhausted by remixes and constant recreations. For decades, many have tried to imitate Kishore Kumar , but if he were alive, I doubt he would appreciate people copying him.

Our approach was the opposite. We kept his voice alive exactly as it is, and allowed today’s singers to retain their own identity while singing with him, not like him. This isn’t a cover , it’s a collaboration with Kishore Kumar.

AI-generated vocals and compositions are now entering mainstream conversation. As someone who helms large-scale multi-artist projects, what excites or concerns you about AI in music creation?

So far, I haven’t used AI at all. None of my projects are AI-driven in any way. It’s not that we’re unaware of it , we’re fully educated about AI , but we’ve made a conscious decision not to use it yet.

I’m open to embracing AI when the legalities and regulatory frameworks are clearly defined. For the last two and a half decades, we’ve always worked strictly within the boundaries of corporate and creative laws, whether in India or internationally.

Once there is complete clarity, we’ll align ourselves with the guidelines accordingly.

You have worked closely with multiple artists through projects like Artist Aloud and other initiatives. What do you think young creators misunderstand the most about sustainability in the music industry today?

I think there are a few important things. First, consistency. Artists need to keep creating and releasing music. You can’t make just two or three songs and expect them to take off , that’s simply asking for too much. The younger generation should keep producing, keep experimenting, and keep putting their work out there.

Second, don’t lose your identity just to fit into whatever is trending. Every artist becomes an artist because they want to express themselves. If that’s the reason you got into music, then why imitate what’s already in the market? Do your own thing. Sometimes it will connect, sometimes it won’t , but in a world of 8 billion people, and with 1.5 billion in India alone (plus our diaspora), you will always find your own cohort of listeners who resonate with your sound.

Patience is also crucial. These ideas are commonly discussed today, but they remain true.

I’ve been fortunate to work on several multi-artist projects. For example, OnePlus Playback created history with over a billion views in a short time, featuring artists like Guru Randhawa, Neha Kakkar, Shreya Ghoshal, Neha Bhasin, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

I also worked on Tips Rewind , a tribute to Jagjit Singh ,with Hariharan, Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Babul Supriyo, and others. And now, this Kishore Kumar project.

With sync licensing becoming a major revenue stream globally, what opportunities do you see for Indian composers in films, OTT content, and gaming internationally?

Creating IPs, working with multiple artists, and building a wide spectrum of music is something I truly enjoy.

I think a lot of it comes down to the right time and the right place. Either someone identifies your music and the opportunity, and brings the two together, or an artist has a custodian,someone who keeps pushing their music forward. I was fortunate because two decades ago, these things were still very new in India.

A dear friend of mine, Mr. Sunil Shetty,the actor and producer,invited me when he was looking for a song for a dream sequence featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra. That’s when I gave him “One Love.” It was originally an English track with Voiva and Dark Blue. I told him I could create a Hindi version with about 30 additional compositions, record it with Shansat, and give it to him to place in the film. That was actually a sync deal.

Later, for the film Bluff Master, Rohan Sippy invited us, and we provided songs from Sweden and the Netherlands. We customized them,Jaideep Sahni came on board to write the Hindi lyrics, I added some composition elements, made the rhythm more Indian and we placed them in the film. Again, these were synchronization deals long before sync was widely discussed.

There was another instance related to gaming. The god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, was creating a cricket game and a companion app. He invited me to create a song for it. I made him sing, and then got Sonu Nigam to join him. The track, “Cricket Wali Beat,” is placed inside the game Sachin launched.

We’ve been doing these kinds of sync licenses for years now,films, ads, games, everything. In fact, I remember licensing a duet I created between Brett Lee and Asha Bhosle for a very popular advertisement in Australia.

So yes, sync licensing has been a significant part of my journey for many years, and I’m glad it’s all worked out well.

What's your favourite collaboration till Now?

Of the collaborations I’ve worked on, One Love was definitely a standout. It performed incredibly well back in the day, and interestingly, it recently went viral again. All of these tracks were created long before the era of social media, they were the true OG songs.Even Bure Bure and Saina Saina are still played in clubs today, which makes me really happy.Overall, I’m genuinely proud of all the collaborations I’ve been a part of.

Music in advertising has become more artist-driven than brand-driven. Are you observing a shift in how brands are leveraging music IP, and what does that mean for composers?

You see, two and a half decades ago, I started this whole concept of brand integration in music. I was essentially the first one to drive this movement.

At that time, I faced a lot of resistance,from both brands and, even more so, from artists. For brands, the conventional approach was simple: make an ad, put it on TV and radio, and that was the job done. They never imagined that integrating with music, creating an IP, or owning something long-term could be valuable.

Similarly, artists used to resist brand associations. They would push back, saying they didn’t want a brand in their video, or on their poster, or anywhere near their creative space. Today, the same artists come back asking, “Can we get a brand? Can we get a brand?” Because now they understand that it’s the right way forward,it helps amortize and subsidize costs and brings in many other benefits.

I’m genuinely happy that people have finally aligned with something we started 25 years ago. The landscape has truly changed. Brands now recognize that piggybacking on music is a great idea, and artists understand that a brand doesn’t just subsidize production—it also brings marketing muscle that gives a song real visibility in today’s cluttered environment.

As for collaborations, I’d love to share what’s coming up. At the moment, I’m not working on any international tie-ups, but I do have some exciting projects that will be released soon, apart from Ek Aur Baar Kishore Kumar.

One of them is with Papon and Madhubanti Bagchi,both incredible artists with very distinct vocal textures. I’ve also completed a song with Gulzar saab and B Praak. Interestingly, B Praak had never sung a Gulzar saab composition before. So yes, there are quite a few interesting things in the pipeline.

What are the upcoming projects, and how do you see the music business evolving in the next 2–3 years?

Well, I think the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) has been growing exponentially, and the collections today are genuinely impressive. In fact, the society almost began in my own bedroom,my brother, Mr. Sanjay Tandon, was the pioneer who started and scaled IPRS in India. He now heads ISRA, the Singers’ Rights Association.

I see this entire ecosystem expanding rapidly, which is excellent for artists,very similar to how it evolved in the West. You create a few great pieces of work, some of them take off, and the royalties sustain you for the rest of your life.

But ultimately, everything comes down to making good music. If we focus on creating strong songs, the rest will follow. The business, the structure, the math,it all aligns once the music is right.

Any upcoming collaborations you'd like to mention,something we can look forward to in 2026, since we're already in the last month of the year?

Yes, absolutely. As I mentioned, I’ve just completed a project with singer B. Praak and the legendary writer Gulzar Saab. It’s part of a small direct-to-OTT film directed by the highly respected South Indian filmmaker Bharat Bala. It’s a modest film, but we’ve built it around this beautiful song written by Gulzar Saab and sung by B. Praak.

I also have a collaboration coming up with Tips,it’s a track featuring Papon and Madhubanti Bagchi, and I’m quite excited about that as well.

And before I forget, please check out a song I recently created for the Mahindra Music Festivals. As you know, Mahindra produces iconic properties like Mahindra Blues. This song is titled Kala Apne Bhitari Rati Hai, written by my dear friend Swanand Kirkire, composed and produced by me, and sung by the incredibly talented Rakesh Mishra. It’s a powerful combination, if I may say so.