Shaan understands how musicians today are under enormous pressure to produce music that generates endless revenue, social media attention, and so on. And the singer feels that due to this, both creative freedom and quality are being compromised.

Shaan says though he is familiar with all the tricks of the trade, he personally cannot compromise on his values as an artiste. “I cannot just make songs that will go viral in 30 seconds and that will get stuck in your head. All of these tricks are familiar to us (musicians), but yeh sab karke aap haasil kya karoge? [You will come up with] just another mediocre song... So, in the long run, you are destroying yourself as an artiste. No one will take you seriously,” Shaan tells us. He adds, “Don’t become a slave to the system. If you make the same song, then that means you are selling your soul.”

The singer, who recently released a devotional song, says this pressure is getting to the point of exasperation. “Hum kab tak woh karte rahein jo aap (music companies) chahte ho?” he asks, while adding, “As an artiste, to keep your creativity and passion alive, you have to make your identity. And you can only do that when you do something different from what others are doing.”

The 49-year-old says that getting a higher number of views online these days is a “new pressure” which has become a big marketing challenge as well. “People have this thought that itne views aaye hain, toh song achha hi hoga. It (views) determines whether the song is a hit or not these days. The algorithm is manipulating listeners. [Keeping that in mind] music companies are making singers sing the same kinds of songs,” he says.

However, the Tanha Dil hitmaker is quick to add that he understands the business side of music is important as well and only wishes that artistes find a balance. “You cannot escape from it (business aspect of the industry). Also, you can’t just stay in the past and say, ‘Hamare zamaane mein aisa nahin tha’. You don’t have to lose your identity and give in completely. But, at the same time, you do not have to say, ‘Take it or leave it’. I feel there should be a balance,” he ends.