One of the most successful musicians in Notts right now has won TV talent shows, is up for two music awards, has worked with the President of Def Jam South and has someone from Hollyoaks on his video. He’s Shide Boss, and it’s about time you recognised him...
By the time this comes out, you'll have found out if your two nominations at the Brit Asia Music Awards have come up. Congratulations on that...
Yeah, it’s great. I’m up for Best Newcomer and Best Urban Asian Act. It’s nice to be recognised and that people know who I am. I don’t think people realise how hard I work. Not a day goes by where I’m not writing, practising or recording. I found out that I was nominated through Twitter and Facebook. I should win them both, but I probably won’t. (He won the Best Newcomer award - LL)
Your first name is Shide - where does the ‘Boss’ come from?
It's always been my nickname from since I was young. I like to take control of things. I think that shows in the way that I’m an independent artist signed to an independent record label.
Are you from Nottingham?
Yes, and proud of it. I'm from the Lenton and Basford area. Although I love Nottingham, I think that I could get more love from the city. When I play in London, Manchester or Birmingham it can go off, but when I perform in Nottingham the atmosphere just isn’t there. I’m not sure why that is. It’s a shame.
Do you feel that you have been ignored by the local media?
I agree. I’m not boasting, but I just feel I should have more support from the city, especially considering the type of success that I’ve had in the past year since winning the competition. I really like Jake Bugg and I’m glad that he’s doing well for Nottingham, but, you know, I’m signed to Sony/ATV Publishing for my songwriting, I signed a deal with Karman Entertainment, I’ve been on TV, I’ve won awards; so I am definitely flying the flag for Nottingham. It’s great that you guys have been in touch, but hardly anyone else has.
What's your earliest musical memory?
Seeing Michael Jackson on MTV with videos like Billie Jean. I’ve always wanted to be a songwriter, but I only started taking it serious about a year before I got signed. I met a local producer called Marcus James and the both of us just hit it off. He makes all of my music, as well as recording and engineering. He’s also from Nottingham, he’s from Bramcote. We worked together for about eight months before I won the Hollyoaks competition and went nationwide. It took about a year from winning to getting signed. So I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now.
Hollyoaks isn't the most cutting-edge show we can think of. Why did you decide to enter their competition?
The Hollyoaks Music Show is totally different from the soap; It has Top 40 artists performing every week. And I know what people think of Hollyoaks, but their music show is kind of credible - it's had artists like Tinchy Stryder on there. It’s kind of like a new version of Top of the Pops. I had been songwriting for other people but I wouldn’t really sing - I would just record a guide vocal for the tracks. Myself and Marcus had a song that sounded like it would be suitable for Hollyoaks, so we entered competition.
And you even appeared in an episode.
That was incredible. I was performing in the SU Bar and one of the actors said something like, “I don’t want to go just yet, I want to stay for Shide Boss”. I need to get that out there and put it up on YouTube! I also built a good friendship with Saira Choudhry, who played Anita Roy - she ended up starring in my video for It’s Alright.
Now you've been signed, is the pressure on to deliver?
It is and it isn’t. I’m only signed to Sony/ATV for my publishing - I’m actually signed to an independent record label - Karmen Entertainment. But yeah, there is a lot of pressure on in the sense that people expect me to become the next Jay Sean, since he is the only other Asian making similar music to have worldwide success with it. I also feel the pressure a bit when I’m playing live. I can actually be quite shy when performing; If I’m playing in front of a crowd who doesn’t know me, and you look up and all you can see is a row on blank faces waiting for the set to end, it can be daunting. But if the crowd knows the songs and they are all into it, then you relax and get into it yourself.
You sing in both English and Punjabi. Is it important for you to keep your cultural identity within your music?
Yes and no. There is at the moment, because the majority of my fanbase are young Asians so it’s important to stay connected with them. But in the future I think that there will be less of an emphasis.
You’ve had an EP - Rainbow - out for a while now, When can we expect some new music?
The EP is just a taster really, something to get out there. I will be releasing my first official Asian single at the end of September. Following that will be my mixtape, which is more RnB. That's the type of music that I want to be doing, to be honest - I think it shows more of what I’m about. There’s a song on there with Mutya Buena from the Sugababes - I’ve known her for a while ever since I first sent her some tracks to listen to.
We hear that you’ve have recently been to America.
I’ve just got back from Miami. I was working with DJ Khaled, a big hip-hop DJ who has worked with people like Drake. It was crazy out there, I loved it. There were massive Bentleys parked outside the studio, and inside it was full-on with rappers just hanging out. It was just like something Prince or Madonna might have, but that was their everyday life. They have so much money that they can just hang out and enjoy life.
What do you hope to achieve with your music?
I’m here for the long run. My aim is to have an official mainstream single in the charts. People always talk about wanting to do an album, but I’m not so sure that I want to do that straight away. I want to keep doing things to keep my fanbase happy. I think a lot of the time artists rush in to an album and when it’s released it’s not very good and they lose their fans, it’s over too quickly. I just want to keep on singing and releasing good songs. I’m just going to work hard and put my heart into the music and see where it goes.
What do you like to do when you are relaxing in Nottingham?
I’ve never really been the clubbing type, that’s not me. I just like to keep myself to myself and do my own thing.
How would you like to be remembered?
As an artist that not only sings, but writes his own material as well. I'd like to dabble in the acting world, as I now have a taste for that since the Hollyoaks episode. Let’s see.
Rainbow is available from iTunes
Shide Boss website
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