‘I WANT TO CHECK OUT THE LOCAL CULTURE’

Pop star Jonas Blue is looking forward to his maiden performance in India today

Perfect Strangers, Mama, I See Love — these are just a few of the hits to Jonas Blue’s credit, which makes him a favourite among the millennial partygoers. As Mumbaikars get ready to swoon to his tunes at his maiden performance in India, tonight, Blue shares his eagerness. “I’m looking forward to my first time in India. I want to check out some of the local culture and cuisines here,” he says.

Blue, who is based out of London, UK, is a DJ, producer, songwriter and remixer. At the age of 29, he has become a worldwide music sensation, and he says that it has been an “amazing journey so far”. He had released his first single, Fast Car, in 2015, which was a tropical house cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 single of the same name. Blue’s version topped at number two on the UK singles charts that year. “It’s been almost three years since we launched Fast Car, and it’s been an amazing journey so far. It feels great to see my music travel so far and wide and connect with people on an emotional level. That’s all I could wish for. I had been working hard for a long time to get a breakthrough, so when my single peaked at number two, it was a very special moment. But I’m always striving for bigger and better, and still don’t feel like I’ve made it,” he says.

Blue admits that he is not really aware of his popularity in India but he is always “happy to meet new fans and see how they embrace my music”. “It seems that India has become a lot more receptive to foreign music. I’m hearing about several DJs visiting, and bigger shows happening here featuring foreign talent, which is great. We should all be integrated and connected by music,” he says.

A lot of artistes feel that they have to prepare a little differently before performing in front of an Indian audience. Ask Blue what his performance at High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, is going to constitute of, and he says, “I have some brand new tunes that I’ll be testing out and I might do a couple of special edits, too. But you’ll have to be at the show to hear it. I hope to see you all at the Sunburn Arena.”

In the coming years, Blue says that he is looking forward to doing production for other artistes and also doing more collaborations with other DJs. As for the kind of music that he likes to listen to in his free time, he says that he loves listening to all kinds of music. “From ’90s boy band pop to bossa nova from the ’60s and disco from the ’70s, I have a wide range of taste in music,” he shares.

For Blue, the process of creating music starts at the piano, with a great concept or title. He takes it from there to get a different end result, always. “The inspiration and key behind my music is the balance between electronic dance music and pop, and how those worlds inspire me in equal measures,” he signs off.

Jonas Blue feels great to see his music travel far and wide