With his latest hit, Amrit Dasu aka DASU, has established two things quite clearly — first up, if he could turn back time, he knows what he would do, and secondly, the artist knows how to get the party started. With beats to make you pop and sway, and a lively Dancehall influence by Charly Black, the track Turn Back Time is sure to make its way to clubs and house parties.
But let’s turn back time a little and take a look at previous work by the artist. He made his debut on the international music scene with a hip-hop infused version of Kishore Kumar’s Dil Kya Kare in 2014. It was produced by Rishi Rich and featured Murder fame actress Mallika Sherawat in the video. Post this, he released two EPs titled 1986 and November and the OST titled That’s Right featuring Juggy D for a British film called Amar Akbar and Tony.
The artist of Indian origin was born in the States, brought up in Hong Kong and is presently settled in New York. Apart from English, he is fluent in Cantonese, Hindi, and Punjabi. “Being a part of so many cultures, I’ve taken inspirations from all types of people and cultures and it has helped with my songwriting by connecting me with those cultures,” says DASU.
Though he’s been on the scene for quite some time now, and has put out a bulk of work, he thinks Turn Back Time is his big break. “Turn Back Time is my first major single. The other songs were an introduction to the world and my style of music. It was awesome collaborating with Charly. Good guy good energy,” he says, adding that his time in the music industry has given him the experiences he needed to make him confident as an artist. I think I have definitely grown as an artist. I’ve become more understanding of how it is to work with a team of people and I’ve been studying what goes on behind the scenes of the music which is just as important. I’ve learnt a lot in the past year,” he says.
The artist has also modelled for baseball hats for the international lifestyle brand called New Era and is featured in all Lids stores (American retailer specialising in athletic headwear). He believes that a successful artist must have the entire package — looks, style, slick moves and above all, this real talent for music. “I love to dance. I think it’s a way of expressing yourself and letting go. Style and looks are important but not everything. Good music is everything,” says DASU, who believes that all genres of music now have global appeal.
“Honestly, I can’t describe the ‘international’ scene as I don’t see it that way. Music is global and now you can listen to any type of music on your phone from anywhere. PSY had a Korean song on Pop radio in America and it was global. So I don’t think people should say just ‘cause it’s not English, it’s not international,” he explains, adding that he’s currently working on new music.
