After debut LP’s success, Zeshan Bagewadi sets sights on Mideast

Born in Chicago to Indian Muslim immigrants, Zeshan Bagewadi (aka Zeshan B) has sung for two presidents, been hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as an “artist to watch,” and seen his first album, “Vetted” receive rave reviews from international media and debut at No. 8 on Billboard‘s World Music chart.

The album is a blend of tempestuous soul arias, urban love dramas, and Memphis blues, all performed with an idiomatically Indo-Pakistani feel.
“It was weird,” recalled Bagewadi, of the Billboard ranking. “It was my debut album and I was just happy to put it out there. I was fortunate to get a lot of accolades from it.”

It was, he told Arab News, a deeply personal album, drawn from his own upbringing.

His parents exposed him to Indo-Pakistani music, and his father also introduced him to blues, soul, and R&B, while his mother — a retired social worker — introduced him to the plight of disenfranchised minorities. “Vetted” was born from those ideas and sounds.

The album was a runaway success. “Yeah, it did the rounds,” said Bagewadi with a grin. “It was just about transforming obscure soul songs that no one knew about. I put my own spin on them. It was as personal as it could have been; I definitely injected my own personality into them.”

The LP’s success led to his debut on US network television on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He has since sold out shows across America, the UK, Italy and India.

“There was life before — and life after that show,” he said.

Bagewadi has his sights set on performing in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia. “If the opportunity arises there, of course I would love to,” he said. “Especially if it involves making meaningful surface impact. I would love to … show them my story as a American-Muslim kid.”

Meanwhile, Bagewadi hopes to release his next single in November, followed by a second album.

“I am a pretty harsh critic of my own work,” Bagewadi admitted. “But I’m sitting on several songs. And for once I think ‘Gee, I really have some really cool stuff here.’”

From :Arabnews