“I released a song called ‘Jacquemus’ because I went to a department store and saw some funny looking bags,” says Canadian-Indian artist Tesher, who released his third solo single on Friday. When he realised that Jacquemus was actually a luxury fashion brand, known for its handbags, things started clicking. “I wanted to paint the picture of a woman who was very fashionable — a scene stealer, a show stopper. What would make that happen?” He figured: probably a Jacquemus bag.
Tesher says he wanted to create a song that would sound familiar to people across cultures. The song is infused with influences from Brazilian Baile Funk, Bollywood and hints of other regional Indian music. He noticed that the Baile Funk he was listening to had a lot of similarities to South Indian music, “like the dhinka chicka drumbeat”. Tesher’s own musical influences are multi-fold. He grew up listening to Bollywood, bhangra and bhajans at home. But his hometown, Regina, in Canada’s Saskatchewan province did not have a large South Asian community, he was also heavily influenced by hip hop of the Noughties. Blending these genres was a way for him to reconcile his own identity through music. “I think a big reason I’m able to make such big crossover hits is because I’m a crossover guy,” he says. “I was fortunate to have grown up with an equal sense of South Asian music and Western music. That has just helped me be successful in creating my own fusion music.”
