The EDM frontrunner collaborates with the Bollywood composer, which also features singer Shirley Setia
Marshmello (left) and Pritam have joined hands for "BIBA." Photo: Courtesy of JioSaavn
Just as the next big run of festivals close in this month, there’s a new pop collaboration where EDM and Bollywood cross paths. Ahead of his headline three-city tour in India, American dance music producer Marshmello has teamed up with Bollywood music composer Pritam for a lively track called “BIBA,” released today via JioSaavn’s Artist Originals series.
Brands getting involved for collaborations, like this one, isn’t new in India. It might new for Marshmello, but Pritam has previously worked with Diplo for “Phurrr,” off the 2017 film Jab Harry Met Sejal. Diplo’s own dancehall/EDM group Major Lazer too tapped Bollywood rapper Badshah for “I Wanna Be Free” the same year. So what makes “BIBA” different? Despite Marshmello’s champion status in the EDM world, there’s little on offer that sets it apart from the kind of dancefloor-friendly sound that Bollywood music producers are already mining. A music video is expected later this month.
The intent too was perhaps not too different. While Marshmello said in a press release statement that he “always wanted to do something for [Indian] culture,” Pritam stated, “Marshmello’s team and I wanted to collaborate on music that would be very popular and still retain that Indian sound, something that could play at weddings.” At least we know the target audience now, but that probably won’t stop Marshmello from dropping the track at during his set at Vh1 Supersonic in Pune this month, which is preceded by Supersonic Arcade shows in Hyderabad on February 15th and in New Delhi on February 16th.
As much as “BIBA” is fairly unremarkable and almost seems forced, we know for sure that it was the product of a meeting between JioSaavn chief operating officer Gaurav Sharma and Marshmello’s manager Moe Shalizi. Sharma, for his part, said “Music in India is evolving – it’s taking more risks, it’s becoming more artist driven, and it’s becoming more international. ”˜BIBA’ represents all of that.” Let’s hear something a tad more risky than Bollywood EDM, which is the sound of nearly every party, club, restaurant and of course, wedding.
Listen to “BIBA” here.
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