Ssameer, for that's how he spells his name, is minus a surname. But that's not that important. What is, however, is the fact that he is a crooner based in apna Noida creating ripples all across the country.
In Ahmedabad, none other than the Gujarat CM Anandiben M Patel released his latest composition Kaipochhe, the theme song for international kite festival Udayan. In Manesar (Haryana), he got NSG commandoes dance to his tunes. In Jalandhar, his new year eve concert at Gymkhana Club had the city's top brass queuing up to shake his hands. And in Vizag his gig will be the opening act at International Fleet Review (February 5 to 8), a grand naval ceremony where guests would include our PM and the president. And in Delhi and Gurgaon, he has been a regular performer in happening club lounges and malls like Farzi Cafe, Blues, Zai and Select City Walk. And oh yes, at an international youth festival in Vladivostok, Russia, he was quite the star.
Yet, strangely enough, he hasn't 'got a chance' to perform in his own home turf, Noida. "I have never been invited to perform in Noida. That's one thing I would love to do," he says.
But what exactly is his brand of music that so touches people's hearts? Well, his weapon of mass mesmerisation is Sufi rock where he incorporates elements of Sufi with high voltage rock guitar riffs and heart pounding drums.
"My music is soulful. My music is for hearts," he says. Just listen to his self-released singles such as Na jane, Ankhiyaan nu rehn de, Soniye (na jaavin kadi duur), Saiyyaan and Saawari to understand what he means. Soulful for sure, and a singer worth watching out for. "It is not always Sufi that I sing, my music is soulful rock, but for marketing and branding Sufi rock sounds better," he explains.
When he is not touring, he works at his own recording studio in Noida where he composes and records ad jingles, does voice-overs, and so on. He has also done some amount of playback singing for a few Bollywood flicks like Sarhad Paar, Roar and Hum Phirr Milein Na Milein.
Interestingly, our musician next door is a management pro too, armed with an MBA, but music was what he always wanted to do. "People normally give up their hobbies for a stable job, but I gave up the security of a job for my hobby," he says. Starting off by playing the guitar for various jingles, then moving onto performing covers of Metallica, Jethro Tull, GNR, Led Zep, AC/DC at college festivals, and finally finding his own niche in this unique blend of Sufi, soul and rock.
No, don't ever call his music Hindi rock - the kind Palash Sen and his band Euphoria is known for. "Hindi rock is passe," he says, adding, "I knew I couldn't have survived on rock music alone in India. I always wanted my music to be commercially successful. That's how Sufi rock happened."
A rich contribution for sure to contemporary culture from this Noida resident whose Sector 41 house was built by his late father, a tea garden manager in Assam. So does he like Noida? "Yes, of course. Our neighbourhood is particularly nice. Everyone comes out to celebrate festivals like Lohri, Diwali and X'mas. My colony is also very clean and green," says the 31 year old, who visits GIP mall for shopping sprees and Wave mall for movies.
But what he really, really wants to do is to perform in Noida. "That would be a milestone for me," he says. So people, next time you are upto some celebration, remember Ssameer. The one with an extra 's', minus a surname. The one with a guitar and a soul in his voice.
Sample this single:
