An Iranian Refugee Became a Hit Producer Now Finds Humanity with Global Collabs

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This week Ari sits down with AFSHEEN, an electronic artist, producer, songwriter, and DJ. Initially, AFSHEEN became well-known for producing music by Madonna, Janet Jackson, Selena Gomez, Chris Brown, Sia and other big-name artists. AFSHEEN was nominated for a Latin Grammy for his work on Natalia Jiménez’s album Creo en Mi. He wrote “All We Have Is Love” with Sabrina Carpenter, wrote and produced “Sunny Days” with Armin van Buuren and Toby Gad, and has worked with other notable artists like Rebecca Ferguson and Lindsay Stirling. A song AFSHEEN wrote for Korean artist Taeyeon reached number one on the K-Pop Billboard charts for two consecutive weeks. 

AFSHEEN has had an incredibly successful career as a songwriter/producer, but he also recently released a new album, SMALL WORLD, under his namesake solo project. An Iranian refugee himself, AFSHEEN worked with artists from all over the world to bring this record to life. SMALL WORLD features prominent artists from Indian, Romania, Jamaica, Japan, Amsterdam, and beyond. 

AFSHEEN talks with Ari about transitioning from being the go-to producer/songwriter for superstars into being a self-released artist who releases his own music through DistroKid. AFSHEEN is also starting his own label, SOUNDISH. He shares insights about the process of building a label and his vision for the label’s future.

https://www.instagram.com/afsheenmusic/

00:00 Exploring Global Sounds: AFSHEEN’s Journey
09:55 The Power of Collaboration: Building a Diverse Album
20:07 Cultural Roots and Personal Stories: Music as a Reflection
30:03 The Indie Artist Journey: From Producer to Self-Released
32:00 Vision for the SOUNDISH label: A New Era in Music Production
38:24 Transitioning from Behind the Scenes to Artist
42:46 Expanding Global Reach through Collaboration
51:22 Breaking into the Music Industry
01:02:08 Defining Success in the New Music Business

Edited and mixed by Ari Davids
Music by Brassroots District
Produced by the team at Ari’s Take

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