Born in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Ahmad Shaad Safwi lives by the quote “You were born an original, don’t die a copy.” The 33-year-old singer-songwriter defines his story as a ‘roller coaster.’ He uses music as a medium to narrate stories and express emotions while experimenting with different genres for his music. His journey in music started with his college band playing across Lucknow at various college fests and places. He later moved to Pune and carried this passion for music in parallel with his six-year job at a multinational company. In 2017, however, he shifted to Dublin, where he is currently based, to do his post-graduation. Nevertheless, this did not stop him from making more music.
Safwi’s influences as an artist include bands and artists like Strings, Jal, Euphoria, Agnee, KK, Shaan, and Atif Aslam. His first single, ‘Chal Diye,’ released in 2015, was also featured on MTV Indies. He has also released two singles under big labels like T-Series.
‘Sajna,’ his latest release, is a Hindi rock song that talks about the absence of a beloved person in one’s life. It entails the deep love and care, one carries for a partner while simultaneously going through the different phases of life. Released on the 2nd of September, the song’s sound palette and structure enable it to be a unique track while being mindful of retaining the authenticity of the rock genre. It also features a very sentimental Shehnai part which compliments the depth of sadness one goes through while missing someone.
The song was made in collaboration with Adil Nadaf, a Mumbai-based music composer with whom the artist had previously worked, and has Suvarna Tiwari on the vocals along with the artist himself. The process took about a month and was recorded at Nadaf’s studio in Bangalore called ‘The Oktave.’ The music video was shot in Chikmaglur’s Baba Budan Giri Hills while the acoustic version was shot in Lisbon, Portugal.
Safwi is currently working on new music comprising of singles, new collaborations and an album that is to be released soon.
