Hemina Shah And Nigerian Artist GCN Releasing Indian-Afrobeat Ileke

Hemina Shah And Nigerian Artist GCN Releasing Indian-Afrobeat Ileke

Hemina Shah And Nigerian Artist Releasing First Indian-Afrobeat June 24

A new genre of music is born; The Indian Afrobeat Fusion.

Just months after the success of the recent release of the first Hindi-Afrobeat track ‘Temperature,’ Nigerian artist GCN and British Indian singer Hemina Shah once again collaborate to create a brand new music genre of Indian-Afrobeat fusion music. ‘Temperature’ took audiences by surprise when the two artists combined two languages, culture, and sounds to prove that music is truly a universal language and has no boundaries. The pair were interviewed by BBC World and Nigerian’s Channels Television, who mentioned that this was the ‘birth of a new music genre’ and the possible ‘opportunities of Afro-beats in the Asian market.’

Since the release of ‘Temperature,’ the duo has wasted no time getting into the studio to create a completely unique ‘Bollywood fusion sound.’

In the 1950s, Bollywood movies were mainly played and watched in India. However, a lot has changed since then, and Bollywood movies have become infamous and watched by many people worldwide. Millions of viewers do not even speak or understand Hindi, but this does not stop them from watching Bollywood movies today; they simply turn on the subtitles. Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Kajol, and many others have become household names.

“Bollywood movies are filmed in different parts of the world, but the music has been stuck with the same vibe. It needs a new sound, even if it does not realize it. I haven’t heard much of the latest music that appeals to me in any new movies – they have been re-making old songs like ‘Tip Tip Barsa Pani,’ ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast,’ ‘Dilbar Dilbar’ and many more, so I thought it is right time to create our own unique music. I am working on new compositions that bring different cultures and unique sounds together to create aesthetically pleasing masterpieces. In particular, Bollywood needs to come to Africa and hear the true potential of African music and Afrobeats. African beats and rhythms are so catchy, and there is no doubt that they will get the Bollywood stars dancing in the movies. Hopefully, some of these pieces catch the ears of Bollywood, and in turn, they too see the need to evolve.”, says Hemina

Hemina states that collaborating with artists worldwide can be very challenging yet extremely rewarding at the same time. “There are language barriers to consider, timezones, different opinions, time availability, technology challenges, and to top everything, the Covid-19 pandemic. I have learned from this that music shines through all these hardships and transcends any obstacles that lie ahead. The artists I work with life and breathe music; it is not just a passion but a way of life.”

Hemina’s and GCN’s latest track is named ‘Ileke’. “Ileke are the beads that African women wear around their waistlines that jingle and make a beautiful sound when they dance. There are so many similarities in our cultures as Indians also wear beautiful jewelry on their ankles and waistlines when they dance in the Bollywood movies. We thought we would combine the two cultures to create an upbeat Bollywood-style dance track with an Afrobeat. It would be amazing to see this kind of fusion in a Bollywood movie”, says GCN.

Ileke is a combination of Punjabi and Yoruba lyrics and keeps the Indian essence with an eclectic vibe and will definitely get you dancing this summer. The track will be released worldwide on 24th June 2022.