New Delhi: With a studio album up for release later this year, music mogul, mentor and entrepreneur Badshah wore his heart on his sleeve and got candid in an interview with leading podcaster Raj Shamani for his show 'Figuring Out'. In the interesting conversation, Badshah extensively spoke about theYouTube views controversy with the song 'Paagal', and why Sidhu Moosewala will always be a legend for him.
YouTube Controversy:
In a discussion about this, Badshah said, "You can never buy YouTube views; it’s called buying adverts from legitimate buying agencies. The agenda was to make 'Paagal' visible to maximum audiences and achieve a certain viewership number so that we can flex. We thought we had a global song and we wanted to advertise it to a global audience. At that time J Balvin’s 'Mi Gente' had dropped, and it was a huge hit and we felt Hindi shouldn’t be a barrier since music has no boundaries."
"'Paagal' is a huge hit in Brazil and a lot of people know me because of that song. My vision was to serve 'Paagal' to the world and I was okay investing legitimately whatever money it took for that crossover to happen. We bought advertisements from three agencies who were empanelled by YouTube with proper GST invoices. Unfortunately, some of our audiences started spreading the narrative of fake views. I still don’t know what fake views are.", he further added.
Additionally, he also went on to say, "Today all your major brands advertise to promote their products to a larger audience, it’s not ethical or illegal and that’s exactly what we did for our song to reach new audiences. I realised later this was a propaganda created against me. I took it in my stride and I was like well a boy from Pitampura is actually such a talking point for many. I invested my own money because I believed in the song. Today, labels and artists out of India heavily advertise their products. Take the example of Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar who also market to audiences in India too. Everyone needs a scapegoat but audiences need to be educated and make an informed decision before slandering everyone. Its funny, at my biggest ever show in Ahmedabad in 2019 which had a 33,000 footfall, I wanted to take a selfie and caption it ‘me with my fake followers’."
Sidhu Moosewala & Creating A Legacy:
Talking about creating a legacy and why Sidhu Moosewala will always be a legend for him, Badshah said, "I am not in a hurry to narrate my life story or make a Netflix documentary on myself. I don’t crave for love or sympathy. I believe everything is destined. First, you’re an underdog, then people start loving you when you become successful and then there’s hate and criticism when you become super successful. Then there comes a time when you just become a legend and late Sidhu Moosewala is just that."
"The way he did it was all about the culture! He stayed in his village and his global success didn’t deter him from staying true to his roots and upbringing. I share the same sentiment. I can’t stay in Mumbai, I enjoy the village life. The closer you are to your people, the more respect I will have for you. You become a legend when you help create by-products and prodigies and are more selfless in your approach," he further added.
Financial Success:
Badshah narrated his success tory and said, "There are brand deals, Bollywood soundtracks, royalties from music, live shows and rentals. I have Badfit and Dragonfly which now become aspirational. My biggest flex is when artists perform at Dragonfly and earn me the money. The beauty is I don’t know how it’s happening but I’m happy it’s earning me the revenue. The brand deals have grown exponentially because I’ve been in the industry for over 10 years and there’s a certain level achieved. There are businesses I have invested in as well. I have a stake in Cric Pe, Mainstreet and a beer brand. In some places I have invested but, in most cases, it is equity against endorsement."
His future vision is to launch a boutique liquor label that houses multiple subsidiary brands.
"My largest income is from live shows followed by brand deals, rentals, Bollywood music and sadly royalties form the most insignificant component. This is a huge mistake on my part but I’d like newer artists to be aware of their royalties and their rights and have a well versed legal and management team to avoid the burnout and ensure there is talent preservation. Every artist needs to know the technique of money management, where is your money coming in from and where is it being spent.", he further added.