Transcript:

Neeti Keswani: If you have been wondering how to have a brand as a music producer, if you wonder how to grow a brand and promote yourself as a music producer, you want to set defined goals, get amazingly paid as a music producer. We have some amazing guests for you today: Raman Siayn.

He is going to help you understand how a music producer—he's a creative director and a sound innovator blending electronic beats with soulful global influences—and we'll get into those amazing case studies in a bit. But let me tell you a little bit more about him. He's done reggae-infused tracks like Dhun, his full-length album like Take Me to Paradise, and now he's based in the UK, leading projects at Rocket Studio, reimagining how music can inspire, elevate, and transport us. Welcome, Raman Siayn.

Raman Siayn: Welcome to our show. Thank you so much, Neeti Keswani, for the wonderful introduction.

Neeti Keswani: No, you deserve it, definitely. So, I would like to explore with you your creative journey, the story behind your unique sounds, how people should go about music producing, and what's that passion, that culture, that innovation that you weave into every track.

Raman Siayn: You see, what it is with me is that my journey has been very interesting. I'd say it's been very adventurous, an exploration of what I've done to find my music. Being born and bred in the UK, I've had a balance of both cultures: the British culture and the Punjabi culture.

I grew up listening to Punjabi music from a young age, buying cassette CDs of various artists. I think what it is with my music is that I've been influenced by British music and Punjabi music. So, influencing both, where you've got the western sounds and you got the eastern sounds... this is what I did with my album Take Me to Paradise. Usually with electronic music, you hear all the bass, the trance music you listen to in nightclubs with the DJs. But I wanted to bring that influence of having the sitar in there, or the sarangi, or the tabla, just to infuse it with the eastern sounds as well.

I did get a very lovely response when I released the tracks because it was an experimental album. That's all it was. I wasn't there to think that I need to make a super-duper hit worldwide. The whole thing was experimentation. And that's all I do with my music. I hear something I like, I just put it out there. The thing with music is that you can't please anyone. There's so much music out there. You just have to make your own fan base. People who are going to listen to your music will listen. People who are not are not going to listen.

I create something, put it out. If I get good feedback, that means I'm on the right path. If I get bad feedback, that means I need to work on myself. So, I just work with my music.

Neeti Keswani: But tell me something, don't music producers follow the trends, the viral trends, to get a little bit of a hike in that kind of music?

Raman Siayn: I think it is there. It's good you touched that. There was a time when garage music was pretty big in the UK. You had people like Dr. Zeus, who introduced garage music in the Punjabi music scene. Then you've got people like Apache Indian who brought reggae in. Then you had the band Sahotas, who brought the dholak into reggae music. So, it was a combative combination.

I think every artist has their core signature sound which has influenced many people. Right now in Punjabi music, the Afrobeat has come in since Diljit Dosanjh has been working with Western artists. The Afrobeat is now a trend. So, I think everything happens: one person starts something and the rest of the artists think, "Let's try this, maybe we can become big."

Neeti Keswani: But then your signature style is similar to his? Or what is your signature style? I'd like to understand.

Raman Siayn: My signature style... I've loved electronic music from day one. I think my sound is more electronic. I like that vibe. Music can be seen on a spiritual level; it connects you to something. When you listen to Sufi music or ghazals, you can connect with that in any way or form. With me, my sound of music is always that I want to entertain people. That's what an artist's job is.

Neeti Keswani: You touched the aspect of spirituality. Now that ties in very well with Luxury Unplugged's philosophy because we feel that if you're living a luxurious lifestyle, you definitely have some kind of spiritual connection. Do you agree?

Raman Siayn: I strongly agree. With my background, coming from a Sikh family, most people connected to music started from Gurbani. My interest in music started from going to the Gurdwara every Sunday. I used to buy VHS tapes of Gurbani Kirtan and watch them, learning tabla by improvising and watching others. I think the start of an artist or a musician always starts from devotional music. That's where the spiritual thing comes from.

Neeti Keswani: With the way trends are right now, and with social media bombarding every industry, everybody who wants to be known has to have a social media presence. It helps us a lot. But with the rise of AI music and AI-generated beats, what do you think? Are you using it?

Raman Siayn: It's very important because we're in a digital world. Marketing in music used to be via agencies, posters, flyers, billboards, and press conferences. When the digital world came, with social media platforms, everything broadened up; everything is in your own control.

Talking about AI music, there are some good things and some negative things. The negative side is that any person can become a music producer. All you need to do is write what you want to make, and the AI will generate the lyrics and compose the music. But the downfall is that AI isn't accurate. It doesn't look organic or authentic.

I don't trust AI music. I'm not dependent on it. I love to do everything organic. I have a live percussionist who records his parts. I play the tabla. I do my bits in the studio. I don't rely on samples. I've grown up listening to people like Shinda, Jazzy B, who do not rely on samples. They record every single instrument live. Because I follow these people, I feel it's an insult if I use samples.

I believe in using live music, hiring musicians. My team in Mumbai does it live. This is why my music... I know the work I put towards my music is done with such honesty. Everything is organic. AI is good for demos, maybe to get an idea of a feel of a track, but I don't rely on that being the final product.

Neeti Keswani: Well, also because it's your reputation at stake. If you are asked to perform live, it will showcase if it's not authentic.

Raman Siayn: Reputation is key in any industry. My journey started from radio, then podcasts, then Instagram Lives during COVID, then music. It's about how you present yourself to people. I've kept myself humble. Whoever I relate to in the music industry can blindly trust me that Raman Siayn knows what he's doing.

Neeti Keswani: About some of your celebrity clients, is there something exciting you did as a music producer?

Raman Siayn: The most... when I used to listen to an artist from childhood and buy his albums... Sukhshinder Shinda, the man behind bringing Jazzy B into the industry. I'm very close with him. The way I connected with him was through the radio; I interviewed him. We exchanged numbers. He liked my vibe. Today, we are so close we see each other like brothers. I work closely with him on the design side of things—cover art, posters, videos. He's one of the clients I've worked with. In terms of other celebrities, I've worked closely with Jazzy B.

Neeti Keswani: Let's come back to the basics of music production. How did you grow your brand as a music producer, and how do you promote music when working with celebrities?

Raman Siayn: My actual original background is, by profession, I'm a graphic designer. That's where the design and branding side comes from. I've worked with various record labels, independent producers, artists, and DJs. Branding has always been part of my identity.

I strongly believe that if any new artist wants to launch themselves, their logo should be very simplistic, elegant, and authentic, relating to their music. For myself, I make sure that when I do work for other clients in the music industry, they will think, "If Raman Siayn is launching a song, he must be doing something extraordinary for himself."

I've had a lot of compliments and support from the industry. They share my music without me asking. I believe the way you speak to people, the way you respect the person, takes you a long way in life. If you mistreat someone, they're going to think this guy's got an ego. I always try my best as an individual to be humble. I'm just enjoying life, experimenting and exploring. I don't consider myself above anyone.

Today, before the podcast, someone recognized me from my album cover and said they loved my music. That is more than enough for me. That connection with listeners is what I want to do.

Neeti Keswani: Your album has been shot beautifully. The words are really pretty. I have heard it and I'm going to be putting bits of it in the podcast as well. But coming to the creative process and inspiration, I feel there's a lot of synchronicity between the way you work and the way I work. There's a level of authenticity that has to go in your work. It has to come from your heart. In your case, when you start a new track, what do you look for? The lyrics, the beat, or the vibe? How do you tie that into building your brand?

Raman Siayn: Interesting question. With me, it's always the subject. The first thing is the subject. I travel a lot, I meet various people, and I always talk to myself in my mind about concepts and subjects. A lot of musicians kind of lose out on that.

For me, it starts from a subject. And obviously, the lyrics are very important. The way I see music is that we connect to lyrics more. But the general public relates to the beat of the song. At a party, people on the dance floor are focused on the vibe, not what the singer is talking about.

As musicians, we look in detail. We think, is this comfortable to be sitting with your family? With my music for Take Me to Paradise, it was a self-funded, budget project. I spent the funds on producing the music and branding. I struggled financially for the visuals, so I used stock videos to create a storyline based on the lyrics. This is how I managed.

My recent track, Dil Da, was a joint collab. We needed a music video. We found a location, played with lighting, had background musicians with leather jackets for a rock vibe, and we pulled it off as a team effort. I'm a strong believer of teamwork. I always give credit where it's due.

I dropped a reggae song as an experimental track. The vocalist, Anjam, is from Pakistan with a very melodic voice. Without her knowing it was a reggae track, I brought out a different side of her vocals. She came back to me and said, "Raman Siayn, what you've done for me is unforgettable. You've opened different doors for me." This is what music is all about. If you're stuck in your comfort zone, you cannot reach new doors. You need to be ready to be open and experiment.

Neeti Keswani: There are so many nuggets in what you just said. So, your style of working is that if you don't have budgets, that should not be a constraint. Use stock photos, but go ahead and build your music. Secondly, collaborate with people you jive with. Build a collaborative environment where new artists are welcome.

Raman Siayn: Absolutely. Many big producers have their own little music group; they only pass business amongst their circle. When it comes to independent artists funding themselves, they don't have big record labels to fund the project.

For people like us, starting from point zero in a digital world where the industry is already massive, it's hard enough to get our name out there. We've got many years to go. Look at someone like Diljit Dosanjh; from the music he used to release, no one would imagine he would be performing at Coachella. It was his own hard work and dedication. No one did it for him.

Neeti Keswani: So, technology has really helped, but the way AI is intervening is scary as well as advantageous.

Raman Siayn: One thing that worries me a lot regarding AI is when they're morphing pictures on different bodies. I sometimes think, have the people who create these images got some psychological problem? Why are these images allowed to be circulated in the public domain? The people who manage these platforms, why are they getting ignored?

Neeti Keswani: Digital policing has to happen, and it's taking its own turn. Okay, so Raman Siayn, you've been working with so many celebrities, and your previous projects have been very inspiring. What about your current projects and your future ones, which are going to be with celebrities?

Raman Siayn: We've got a couple of projects going on. I've got a track with a playback singer for Marathi films, a winner of the Radio Mirchi Awards. It's titled Ferrossi Drunk. It's written and composed by me. It's a synth-wave track, like an 80s/90s style. So that's something fresh.

The biggest project I'm kind of surprised myself with is that I'm working on a track with an artist from Mumbai who is familiar for his playback singing for Aaj Ve Gun in Son of Sardar. And he's doing playback singing for Salman Khan for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. But now, Shankar Mahadevan is in a separate management team. So, Amarendra is a solo artist now. Amarendra is the next artist I will be working with, which is a very exciting project for me because his connectivity in the Bollywood industry is huge. He has won many awards.

I feel it's going to be a very interesting name as part of my portfolio, which is going to open different doors for me. He's been in the industry for nearly 12-13 years, so I see him as a senior artist. He's worked with people like Anu Malik and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. So, fingers crossed, I should be getting some good response from the listeners. All we need is support.

Neeti Keswani: In today's episode, we have explored so many questions in the music industry: how to have a brand as a music producer, how to authentically create music, how AI is reshaping pop music, and how Raman Siayn happens to be on his unique creative journey. So thank you so much, Raman Siayn, for your time today.

Raman Siayn: Thank you so much, Neeti Keswani, for inviting me. It was an absolute pleasure. This is the first time I've been in the guest seat in my life.

Neeti Keswani: I'd love to have you more often.

Raman Siayn: The pleasure is mine. I've been following your podcasts, and you're doing fantastic work by connecting people across the globe. It's an absolute pleasure for me to be on your podcast.

Neeti Keswani: Absolute pleasure having you as well. I'm going to be staying connected with you, talking to you more about your upcoming videos and music. I'm pretty sure it's going to turn into millions of views.

Raman Siayn: Thank you so much, Neeti Keswani, for the love and support.

Neeti Keswani: Good to have you on the podcast.

Raman Siayn: Thank you. It would be a pleasure. Anytime. You know where I am. Whenever you're ready for me, let me know. I'll be ready.

Neeti Keswani: Great. Thank you so much.

Raman Siayn: Many thanks.