“I want to keep representing my tribe through my work” – Shady Mellow

Swagat Yein, known by his stage name Shady Mellow, believes his artistic instincts are a result of the healthy environment he grew up in a small town in Assam. Proud of his roots, Shady keeps looking for opportunities to represent his state globally. After a successful stint on the reality show MTV Hustle, Shady has now been signed by T-Series. The music label has just released his new EP ‘Pushing Up Daisies’.

In this interview, Shady talks about his debut EP, being connected to his roots, the experience of working with T-Series, the kind of themes he likes to explore musically, and more.

Your debut is called ‘Pushing Up Daisies’. How did you come up with this name?

‘Pushing Up Daisies’ has been my dream project. I have been working on it since 2019. I had manifested that whenever this EP comes, it will be backed by a big platform. I had the album art in my head from a long time. ‘Pushing Up Daisies’ means being dead. It also means how life begins from death. It refers to the cyclical nature of life. That’s what I wanted to talk about in my EP.

How was the experience of collaborating with T-Series?

This the best things that could have happened to me at this stage of my career. When they signed me, I knew the time to release my EP has come. Initially, I was very nervous. That was the first time I was going to be working with a record label. T-Series is India’s biggest record label. I was nervous as I was not aware of the legalities and formalities. I did not know things got approved and how we would come up with ideas for music videos. ‘Pushing Up Daisies’ came up exactly the way I had envisioned it four years back. T-Series helped me release it in the best possible manner. I am extremely grateful to them.

Last year, you participated in MTV Hustle 03 REPRESENT. Did that help you get more opportunities?

Absolutely! I have been rapping for ten years now. I have been releasing music since the last eight years. I was in my mid-teens when I started my journey in music. ‘Rafa Dafa’ came out two years before I performed it in MTV Hustle. I knew I had the talent and had what it takes. I think every experience was preparing me to get to big platforms like MTV Hustle and T-Series. Once I got the right platforms, things just fell into place.

One of your interesting tracks has been ‘Ladke Rote Nahin Hain’. What kind of themes do you like exploring through your music?

If you go through my discography, you will realize it is filled with songs that talk about the different emotions we go through. I have been a vocal advocate of mental health. You will find honestly in all my songs. I believe art is a medium where one has to be honest. God has given me the talent and medium to express these emotions. It is my duty to do it honestly. Going forward, I want to experiment with different sounds and themes.

Your real name is Swagat Yein. Why did you choose Shady Mellow as your stage name?

The name comes from my tribe called the Mising Tribe. It is the second-largest tribe in Assam. I always wanted to represent my tribe. On MTV Hustle, I wore a traditional scarf in all the episodes. In my tribe, Shady and Mellow are two deities. Basically, they are sky and earth. These two deities were lovers. When they separated, life began. I wanted to represent this. I wanted to carry a piece of my identity to keep me grounded and always remind me where I come from. I anglicized the names a little bit so that it is easier for the world to accept them. I want to keep representing my tribe through my work.

How much has Assam inspired you as an artist?

I come from a simple, middle-class family. I grew up in a very small town in Assam. Two years back, they did not know what hip-hop music is. We celebrate festivals together as a community. We don’t know the modern way of life. Majority of people in my tribe are farmers. Their simplicity and honesty helped me shape as a person. That reflects in the music I do.

What are you doing next?

I will be releasing more music with T-Series. I really enjoyed the process of working with them. The animator worked on my ideas and created some wonderful visualizer videos.