– Video Goes Viral Globally Even Before Formal Launch! –

Over the past week, the global music initiative, ‘The Power Of Love’ – the musical rendition of the classic song made popular, first by Jeniffer rush and then Celine Dion – spearheaded and performed by the dynamic talents of our Community, has gone viral, with numerous Whatsapp groups sharing this venture of love! The version is performed as a duet by singers Shayan Italia and Delraaz Bunshah, with a captivating Global Choir, adding depth and substance to this piano-based rendition, with the piano played by Shayan. [Insta: @shayan.italia]

The unification power of music, yet again expressed by Shayan Italia, fills our hearts with hope and joy in these extraordinarily challenging times that the world is going through, as it battles the novel coronavirus. If the name rings a bell it’s because Shayan Italia is the same musical prodigy, named ‘Global Indian Of The Year’ in 2018, whose magnificent version of the Indian National Anthem went hugely viral. An ode to his late Mum, it stands as one of the most viewed National Anthem videos, garnering millions of views on YouTube. Residing in Bandra in Mumbai, Shayan is also an entrepreneur, a globe trotter and a foodie who’s passionate about music, movies and technology. He also helps raise funds for causes since the untimely passing of his parents, when he was just a teenager. 

Parsi Times catches up with Shayan Italia to update our readers about the charismatic musician’s global music initiative – ‘The Power Of Love’. 

PT: Tell us about the ideology behind ‘The Power Of Love’.

Shayan: Every project I take on shares a message greater than the artist/performer/writer, etc. There has to be a higher purpose. I’m driven by purpose and the enforcement of change. I believe there is no power greater than the Power of Love between two souls. The power of music transcends all and spreads a global message incredibly fast, connecting with people. I imbibed this magic of music from an early age, from my mum and dad and my brother, and for that I laud the Parsi community for inculcating these values in children from an early age. In these trying and uncertain times, music helps heal, rejuvenate, restore positivity, enhance faith, build love and gets our creative juices going to help us through the daily challenges that we all face. 

PT: Tell us about its launch and its booming growth online.

Shayan: A product with a good message needs the right audience to bloom – and that’s what happened with ‘The Power of Love’. The video found its way to the Parsi community through some folk who may have seen and shared the same with their friends. From there, within 24 hours, it went super viral within the Zoroastrian community globally. This happened while we were still debating on the choice of platform and testing the same video on YouTube and Facebook. Currently, where the world is today, conversation is the key and we get most of our news from Facebook. YouTube is more of an easy-browsing, engagement-driven platform right now. Facebook was the right choice for this project and it’s yielded positive results. 

PT: How did you arrange for the participation of the Global Choir? 

Shayan: Recording this song was not easy at all due to the current environment. There were many challenges along the way. Firstly, my internet at home got cut several times (and always during the remote recording sessions), so most of the time I was working on a bad 3G/4G signal from my mobile phone. And to record multiple sessions with vocalists across various parts of the globe remotely, when things glitch every 10 seconds, is not ideal. I actually want to correct that: it’s hair-pulling-out madness! By the end, the musicians were incredibly frustrated and even within the last session when I said, “guys that was good, let’s do one more,” they hung up on me! #MicDrop… literally!

It took two weeks to put this entire initiative together, coordinating 56 vocalists from various parts of the globe on a crappy 3G/4G network, making them sing the song like 15 times across Zoom, FaceTime and WhatsApp sessions with massive dropouts! Their patience and dedication towards this project is both humbling and laudable. 

PT: Delraaz Bunshah adds great value to the song with her melodious voice. What made you approach her as your co-singer?

Shayan: I respect and share Delraaz’s precision and approach to music. She respects the craft and sings for the love of it, not the fun of it. She’s always part of some musical or gig, and constantly seeking ways to evolve musically. I also admire that she doesn’t do it for the glory, but for the craft alone. Her entire family is musically inclined, and that makes it all the more alluring. Her brother Zervaan (who participated in the Global Choir) is her biggest fan, like my brother Dynshaw is mine. These similarities made it all the more endearing to me.

PT: What’s the onward course for ‘The Power Of Love’?

Shayan: I’ve been approached by multiple mainstream publications on the project and maybe through the growing word-of-mouth, this will reach more people who will connect with its message. At the end of the day, it’s about the video’s positive message during these challenging times. There’s no personal glory in this initiative and none can or should be taken. I’m happy if the initiative has helped bring a smile to someone, somewhere. If so, we have achieved our purpose.

PT: What are your plans post the Lockdown?

Shayan: I have 2 major projects in the pipeline. Later this year, I plan to launch my wellness App – START® – the one-stop holistic wellness App that helps increase your energy, focus, immunity and reduces twice the amount of stress just 7 days, with no change to diet or exercise, optimising your long-term happiness. Hopefully, it will help a lot of people, especially within our community. And my second project is my debut Hindi music video #ShaLaLaLa set to launch post the lockdown. It’s an audio-visual treat which has taken nearly nine months to get on the floor, recorded abroad with an international production team. The song is catchy and we’re working out a good marketing plan to service the video to the public.

PT: What message would you like to share with our Community?

Shayan: The World Has Changed! They say necessity is the mother of invention – it’s crucial that we employ our skills and knowledge to tap into our creative potential during the Lockdown period. Also, now is the time for giving, and this is your greatest power. Express your love freely, without expecting anything in return. Mend every broken relationship, reach out to every loved one and show you care. You’ll be surprised how powerful even a simple, “hello, thought I’d check in to see if you’re safe” can go! Now is the time! Go for it!

And on that note, we applaud the fabulous global initiative by Shayan, Delraz and the Global Choir for sharing a delightful and magical musical experience, which truly had us marvelling ‘The Power Of Love’! Here’s wishing Shayan all the best in his oncoming ventures. May he continue to regale music lovers with his special brand of music, as also continue to do the Community and the music fraternity proud with his dynamic talents!