Malaysian reggae sensation, Sasi the Don recently released his first International debut that features his previous hit singles remixed and rearranged as well as several stomping new songs.

The ace reggae artist has been producing music for 13 years now has been a pioneer in every respect. He is one of Asia’s leading artists in the reggae and dancehall genre. Sasi has released 4 albums and sold more than 100,000 albums till date. Being the leading name in Asian Reggae, he has collaborated with some of the World’s biggest names in Reggae and Dance music.

Hello India features some of his best collaborations and contains 14 tracks, of which 2 are instrumentals and have been included so that fans can use them creatively for their parties and other events.  Sasi has worked with his favourite producer D’Navigator (aka Navin Kumar) from Malaysia on this album.

On his recent visit to India to launch the album, we met up for an interview to know more about man and his music. Excerpts:

You were with another label where you released four albums. How did the deal with Universal come about?

The deal with Universal Music India came about as a follow up with the success of the Universal deal in Malaysia. I have been an artist for Sony all this time. It was moreover a business decision which grew into a deal. Universal Music Malaysia realized my dreams and understood they could not accommodate my dreams and demands. The Universal Music deal saw through the collaborations done earlier. This came into action when the MD of Universal Music Malaysia said, “Why not go and meet Universal Music India?”We came and we met Sunil (D’Sa) and Devraj (Sanyal); they were all around and I showed them my music. I did not come with the intention of positioning myself as the next big thing. When I walked into Universal Music India office I knew that this was the beginning and I had to start anew from here. The deal came about in a very welcoming way and gave me more faith and showed me my future and my next episode in music.

Why did you take on the name Sasi the Don? What is the significance? What is your real name?

I wanted to own a brand that was unique. I wanted a name that would stand out and people would remember. The name came about when I was DJing while I was in University. I used to have a unique talent of playing instrumentals because of not knowing what I should follow up with. I used to drop an instrumental and add my own rap to it. My boss then said “dude, your are the don of reggae”. Eventually when I thought of a name I knew this was the right name.

‘Hello India’ features previous hit singles remixed and rearranged as well as new songs. These are from your earlier album. What new material is in the album?

2 new big songs. One is Hello India. The song that I wrote for every English enthusiast in India. If you understand English you would want to listen to it. Also India has influenced music believers in the world. So I want people to turn to me and say what was the song “Hello India?”

It matters for every Indian origin. To everyone who has got a sense of belongingness or a relationship with India would want to listen to it at least once. It’s also more of my journey as a reggae artist in India. The other part of the song is about the movement of Reggae in India and its complementing other reggae artists in India; current artists who have contributed to the past and the newer ones to emerge, to show that music is larger than hip hop and heavy metal and  for also exploring different genre and reggae was the right approach.

The second track I did is a song called Allaghi meaning gorgeous, it is a Tamil - English song so it’s bilingual as Tamil is my mother tongue. The song is an intermediate between old school and new school. Even though some of my songs are out there they are still new to India. I also feel this is the official time to bring out my music to Indians. It nails me down to understand that I have to still grow in India. I am still not Sasi the don in India. It’s great to have them reintroduced and start them all anew as if they were released just yesterday.

You have worked with Maxi Priest on the album on the song Island queen. How was it working with the dancehall singer?  Besides him who else have you worked with in the reggae music scene?

Okay with Maxi Priest, it was a WOW experience. Such a senior reggae and dancehall artist from the 80’s. To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of his when I just started liking reggae. I liked more fast music like Apache (Indian) but eventually I started listening to the things that actually contributed to the origin of reggae. Maxi is the living legend. He is unique. Working with him taught me that I am no one. I re - erased myself as Sasi the don. I felt like a new born kid just learning reggae. He washed me off, he washed my mind. He kind of hypnotized me to look at things from his point of view. It was a process wherein I could not compromise with him. We were to work for 2 days but ended up working for 5 days. The experience was funny; I couldn’t compromise with him and not even agree on so many things. But later I realized that this guy is for real. He has been there done that. He has been here for 50 years and I had to respect him. I went to the UK to record the song and realized that I had a completely different understanding of the song. It matured me as an artist. I then realized that he wasn’t telling me the wrong thing, but instead was teaching me to look at things differently.

I have also worked with Apache Indian, Dr. Alban, nevertheless I have worked with other artists like Sean Paul, Shaggy, and at some time we have crossed each other’s path and respect each other. That is the secret of my collaboration.

Who are your musical influences? In an era of EDM, do you think reggae music still has a market?

Of course. I think reggae influenced EDM much before Groove Armada for that matter. EDM is something that popped out in recent years and made the lives of DJs more fun. If you add reggae to EDM it will be a game changer. Your party will be completely elevated. In the era of EDM it’s all about collaborations. We don’t need to wait for artists like Guetta, Avicii to set a trend. Tomorrow if given an opportunity I would love to work with a big EDM producer of India to collaborate with me, a reggae artist, to show the world what EDM and reggae would sound like together. I think this world is changing and it’s time for Asians to set the trend and things start happening.

What is the music scene back home in Malaysia?

The music scene in Malaysia is amazing. I think we have got a great industry welcoming other Asians to penetrate. Malaysia has set the standard to other artists to export music to other countries. We are a multi ethnic country that has created great opportunities for people with the passion to make a difference. To me it’s been amazing. The Malaysia music industry has got a long journey, great future, and is good for a lot of young talent to embark on music journey.

Through your album Hello India, what are you trying to portray of India? Why did you think of India as the idea behind the album title? Do you have any musical roots here?

I think my musical roots in India are mainly the influence of people I grew up listening to. The influence of A R Rahman, Ilaiyaraja from south India has been immense. Of course I am a huge fan of Bollywood and south Indian films. I describe India as Rajnikant and Aishwarya Rai. For me, India is everything that it is popular for. I called the song ‘Hello India’ as it as a gesture to greet and couldn’t think of a better way of saying hello to everyone. I wanted to do it with a meaningful song. I always wanted to come to India to do something but never had the opportunity. To start with a reputable label, everything just felt right calling it ‘Hello India’. My years of travelling to Mumbai gave me an extra flavor of understanding India from a different perspective. I saw India as a homegrown person. If someone asked me where would you be born if not Malaysia, the answer would be India.

Are you planning on shooting any music videos for the album especially the title song in India?

Already done

How would you be promoting the album in the country?

Currently we are going by the marketing plans set by the label. There is also something happening with the digital partners. We are still exploring opportunities to do something for the song. I also think it’s important to perform more so that I can showcase myself and say that I am loud and clear.

What according to you is the selling point of the album?

The front cover.

There have been many other artists like Dr Album, Apache Indian who have made music (you have also worked with them), but there has not been any consistency and they are not making much music now. How do you plan to stay in the music scene?

All of them have had issues back. It’s not that they don’t make music it’s just that they don’t get international releases. Dr. Alban is making music, successful music videos, touring Europe while Apache (Indian) has set up his music school in Birmingham. This happens to everyone. Not everyone can be Madonna, right? And unfortunately we are not born in the US. It’s just the mentality of the world to see who has progressed and who has not. With all due respect, everyone is doing their own thing.

To me I just started with music in India, its God’s blessings. Starting today is different from starting 12 years back from now as I now have a family and responsibilities. I will love to progress but I will balance and will check that all the areas are taken care of. I hope God will bless me with better opportunities, better life so that everyone who matter to me can see the progress I am trying to make with my music.

Would you be based in India or Malaysia? Your music is funky and has good grooves, have you thought of using your music in Bollywood film music?

Why not? Can you get me on the phone with Mr. Karan Johar? I would love to meet him. I would love to get my music in Bollywood and also complement the south Indian film with my music that would indeed be a blessing. I look up to a lot of people in Bollywood. I love Karan (Johar), love the way he talks and loves the way he puts people in place. I hope he listens to my music and maybe that can be the start.

What were you doing before you took on music as your career?

Music is not my career actually. Music is just in me. I have a full time job. I am into advertising. I have been doing that for 14 years now. I love that part of my life. That job has created a huge impact on my music. I love my job. Music has just given me the drive to be more challenging in terms of my creativity, my voice. I look into other opportunities through music. Music opens doors to meet new people; it helps me to break the ice. Being the musician has helped me be the person people notice. It’s something like being at the right place at the right time.

Your personal details, are you married, age?

I am 36 now and married.

Anything you would like to say to your fans?

I think India connects with me through social media. I think it’s important that fans and artists connect in a very positive way.  I have had a huge increase in my fan base and 80% of them are from my India. Understanding your fans is very important for being a successful musician in India.

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira