‘Believe in yourself when no one else will’
Dubai-based singersongwriter, Eshani, speaks to City Times about her first album, being signed with Armin van Buuren’s music label and why you should always pursue your passion!
As many of you know we here at City Times love to support local talent in the UAE. Time and time again we are impressed by the amount of talent and the hard-working singers and songwriters in the country trying to make their mark. Eshani is one of them. The full-time singer and songwriter is signed with award-winning DJ Armin van Buuren’s music label Armada music.
Originally from Bangalore, India, but brought up in Dubai, Eshani found her passion for music at a young age and took part in various competitions and events to practice performing on stage. Eshani learned to write her own songs early her on in her career and released her first single Hazy in 2016 and is currently working on an album with producer Mohammad Rayan Bailouni. So far she’s released five songs. Eshani’s genre of music is Trap/pop EDM and a bit of RnB and she’s performed at various events, including the Dubai Jazz Festival 2018 where she performed one of her singles, Babycakes.
City Times had a chat with Eshani about how she got into music, creating her first album and the music scene in Dubai.
When was the defining moment that you knew creating music had to be part of your life?
I’ve always had a passion for music. I started at a very young age and participated in singing competitions, plays and performed at school and at events. To be honest, I’d have to say that I realised I had to create music in 2013. I started writing lyrics then but for some reason I wasn’t happy with the lyrics I would come up with and it was difficult to find the right people to work with. I finally wrote a song Hazy that I really liked and released it in 2016 and that was when I knew that it was time to create more music and to explore who I am as a person and as an artist/singersongwriter.
Who were your musical influences growing up?
Growing up I would listen to
The best thing about performing live is the feeling of freedom.” Eshani
an array of artists and their music. My influences were Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Britney Spears and Rihanna. I was always into the genre of pop and RnB. But, if I had to name one artist that influenced me the most, it would have to be Beyoncé. Being Indian, my family was my influence. My grandmother used to play the veena (an Indian instrument), my mother used to play the mandolin and sing and my father would listen to Sanskrit music. It was a little bit of everything.
What is the process of writing a song for you?
Writing a song is pure emotion. It’s an experience you go through and it’s based on what that experience makes you feel. You get to pour out every thought into a book and watch it come to life with your voice. When I write my music, it’s a mix of organic and planned. Sometimes, it comes to me at random times when I’m feeling a certain emotion such as sadness, anger, happiness and sometimes, I sit down in a space that is my own, light a candle, write down thoughts and I listen to beats online and I go with an undiscovered emotion based on my thoughts and that’s the best feeling ever. Having the best of both worlds when it comes to writing.
How would you describe the Dubai music scene?
The Dubai music scene is slowly growing. There is a lot of talent but I would like to see more support for artists like me. It’s a little difficult when it comes to getting good gigs and shows to perform at. I want to see a music industry in Dubai that breaks barriers and supports artists who create their music by being who they are and for the sake of music and nothing more.
How did you get signed on with Armada Music?
Getting signed onto Armada Music was a blessing. A friend of mine who is also an artist is a brilliant producer and his name is Mangal Suvarnan. We decided one day that it was time to work on a song together. So, he calls me up and says “Listen, there’s a song that I have produced and I need you to sing, let’s do this”. I was really excited because I’ve always wanted to sing on an EDM track and he is the best at what he does. We saw it as a chance to just create something amazing and that’s what we did. Soon enough, our track Insanity got signed onto Armada Music, it was aired live on A State of Trance (the radio station) where we saw Armin van Buuren announce our names out loud and that was it.
How does it feel to be part of a music label that is founded by Armin van Buuren? What kind of support and opportunities have presented themselves to you since then?
Words can’t describe the emotions I feel being a part of Armin van Buuren’s label. It’s a goal, it’s a dream and it’s reality. The track got a lot of support from Armin van Buuren himself, Sander van Doorn and Myon music. The track has over 300,000 plays on Spotify and there’s more to come.
Tell us about the album you’re currently working on with producer Mohammad Rayan Bailouni.
In 2016, I finally came across a really good producer named Mohammad Rayan Bailouni and we worked on my first song ever called Hazy followed by my next single Babycakes - both these songs have been aired live on Virgin Radio Dubai and I’ve performed my single Babycakes at the Dubai Jazz Music festival. We’ve worked and released five more songs and we’re currently working on an album of nine songs. The album is about relationships, heartbreak, women’s empowerment, strong emotions that people put on you and you are forced to face. We’re still discussing the name of the album which should release soon. The inspiration for the album is people. This album isn’t just about my emotions and experiences but it’s also about every other person going through and feeling a mix of strong and vulnerable emotions simultaneously. The tentative release date is in the month of September.
Describe the process of creating an album.
The process of creating an album is delicate. It takes time, patience and perseverance. Creating an album is the best experience/process. Each song represents you. You write what you feel, turn it into a lyric and create a song. This is a continuous process until you hit your album mark. There are major and minor details that need to be taken into consideration. Details such as: who you are, what you represent with your music, artwork etc. These are basics that need to be considered when creating an album. It’s knowing your sound. It’s knowing how you do what you do and packaging it well.
What is the most difficult thing about creating an album and being in the music industry today?
One of the most difficult things in creating an album is knowing what you represent in your songs/album. Having a continuous flow and keeping content ready for when you need it and to be honest, distribution and making sure your music makes people feel. It can be anything but as long as it conveys the message you want it to convey. It takes a lot of work because your album represents you and in this industry, there’s a lot more to it than what meets the eye. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and patience.
What are some misconceptions people have about being a singer/songwriter?
The biggest misconception is that people believe that when one is creating a song it has to be perfect. This causes people to procrastinate. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Nothing is perfect. As long as you’re happy doing what you’re doing even if people think or say otherwise, it doesn’t matter. Just put your song out, keep singing and keep writing more because it’s all about learning which is the best and most important thing. Learning as you progress.
Where can we see you performing next and where can people hear your music?
I perform as I go. There are a lot of things that come into play when being booked for gigs and it isn’t easy. Soon enough you can catch me live when I announce it. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @eshanimusic. You can find my music online everywhere on Spotify, YouTube, Anghami, Apple music, iTunes, Amazon music at ESHANI.