Durand Cup is an annual domestic football competition in India hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS). First held in 1888 in Shimla, the tournament is the oldest existing club football tournament in Asia and the third oldest in the world.
Commenting on the occasion, Shaan, who is the voice behind iconic tracks such as 'Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan' and 'Dus Bahaane' said in a statement, "Well, the Durand Cup is something that all of us Indians should be very proud of. The Indian Army is associated with the Durand Cup, so I followed this league very closely."
Going down memory lane, the singer added, "I've had the opportunity to sing the anthem in 2019 for Bikram Ghosh, the Durand Cup anthem and again, and to get this opportunity through Papon to sing it again for the 2022 Durand Cup is obviously a matter of pride and I'm very happy to be part of this anthem."
Talking about his collaboration with Papon, he shared, "It's always fun because Papon is not just a great musician, a great singer, but also a very dear friend, a lovely human being, we have a very close connection."
The anthem has been incorporated into 5 languages -- English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali and Manipuri.
Sharing his excitement, Papon said "The reason behind the composition of the anthem, 'Durand Cup' is because I had this opportunity of meeting up with an amazing gentleman and sir Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita. It just came up in our conversation about the Durand Cup and we spoke about the anthem. This was an opportunity I got from the Army to compose and produce the anthem and I grabbed it with both hands."
Papon was faced with a great challenge as the song had to be incorporated in five languages.
"The football trophy this year is going from Kolkata to Guwahati to Imphal, the three cities. I roped in Shaan and approached Rewben Mashangva (Manipuri singer) because he's one person who's really respected and has done amazing work in that region, so, he also agreed so that's how we all came in and I composed the Durand Cup anthem."
The 131st edition of the Indian Oil Durand Cup is being telecast on Sports18 and live streamed on the VOOT platform.
They'll sing popular tracks such as 'Dus Bahane', 'All is Well', 'My Dil Goes', 'Main Agar Kahoon', and more. The singers will be seen on the hotseat and will be playing the game along with the popular reality show's celebrity host, Amitabh Bachchan.
They will be seen not only playing the game, but also sharing personal anecdotes and cherished moments from their time in the industry. Big B will be seen laying down a rule for the guests requiring them to sing a song whenever they complete a 'padav'.
Amping up the entertainment quotient of the show, Sonu Nigam and Shaan will also be seen playing 'antakshari' with Amitabh Bachchan and singing ghazals as well.
(The 'Shaandaar Shukravaar' episode of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati 13' will air on Sony Entertainment Television.)
The performance of 13-year-old Rajeev on 'Phirta rahoon dar badar' enchanted the four coaches of the singing reality show, Himesh, Palak, Shaan and Papon.
As always a funny argument started amongst the coaches to tempt Rajeev to choose any one of them.
Through his singing style Rajeev had already expressed his interest in a coach, who was also his inspiration to choose singing as a career.
In a unique way he gave hints of the name of the coach he wished to join. He repeated the phrase ‘Dhina Dhin Dha’, the popular and much loved phrase of coach Himesh, and joined his team.
Rajeev is not the first to win heart of the coaches in this season of the show. Last week, Shiba Prasad Sarangi's performance on 'Moh Moh Ke Dhaage' had captivated the coaches and the original singer of the song coach Papon had won Shiba in his team.
ITW Playworx Music collaborates with Indie Music Label in association with Sony Music India for the Vishal Mishra-composed song, which was launched here on Thursday.
Sonu Nigam, Director, ITW Playworx Music, said in a statement: "I have been in the music industry for a very long time and very rarely you come across a song like 'Aye Zindagi'. All of us at ITW Playworx Music then decided to give the song its due respect like no other song in the past has ever received.
"The result is for all of you to see. Someone very aptly defined this song as the 'Avengers of singles'. Asha Bhosle, Suresh Wadkar, Alka Yagnik, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Vishal Mishra, Rashmi Virag and Sidhant Gupta, as part of the same song. Isn't it the most spectacular single ever?"
Alka finds the flow of the song "beautiful".
"It has a lot of depth with each singer bringing in their own flavour to it. It's a universal song and I feel it holds good for everyone," she said.
For Abhijeet, it's a sign of "healthy competition with perfect harmony". He added: "In the autotune era, we are still very lucky to be among the best."
Shaan said: "To have six voices interpreting the emotion of the same song in their unique style goes to prove that every individual looks at life differently. For me, it is a great honour to be part of such a coveted bouquet of the best ever voices of our industry."
Disney Channel India will be launching "DuckTales", which tells adventures of Duckburg's family of ducks - Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and the triplets Huey, Dewey, Louie on October 1. Shaan and Shubh have now joined the world of adventure by singing the Hindi version of the popular "DuckTales" music sequence.
"I am a huge fan of the original series and really happy that a new generation of kids, including my son, will have the opportunity to grow up with 'DuckTales'. The title sequence absolutely complements the sense of adventure and excitement of the show and it was fun recording the Hindi version; especially because I could share the experience with my son Shubh," Shaan said in a statement.
Devika Prabhu, Executive Director and Head-Product, Media Networks, Disney India, also said: "'DuckTales' holds a very special place in Disney's storytelling history, especially in India. The new series brings the same energy and adventurous spirit for a whole new generation of young fans. Shaan and Shubh coming on board to reprise the iconic 'DuckTales' song in Hindi, will excite kids and adults alike, move to the beat and join in the adventures of Uncle Scrooge and the three nephews."
Featuring a distinct animation style inspired by the classic Carl Barks' comic designs, the new series' adventures will once again take viewers along as Scrooge McDuck, his curious and mischief-making grandnephews - Huey, Dewey, and Louie -- and the optimistic-yet-temperamental Donald Duck embark on high-flying adventures worldwide. It celebrates the importance of family and friendship, with comedy, mystery and adventure at every turn.
The "Deewangi deewangi" hitmaker released the application in collaboration with New York-based tech firm escapeX.
"At this point in life, I want to have fun, experiment with my music and try different things. To get direct feedback from my audience is why I decided to give in to this idea of an app," Shaan told IANS over an email.
Shaan, 44, began his musical journey at a very young age. After doing some jingles, he burst on to the pop scene with his sister Sagarika in the 1990s. He made a place for himself in the music industry with hits like "Jab se tere naina" and "Chand sifarish".
The app will enable fans to access Shaan's social media handles and connect with him through the in-app social feed. It will also enable fans to reach out to Shaan and showcase their talent.
"We are privileged to partner with an artist and entertainer such as Shaan; just like his team won the first two seasons of the innovative 'Voice India' show, we are confident he will set the standard with his personal mobile application," said Sephi Shapira, escapeX CEO.
Supriyo took to Twitter on Wednesday to share a photograph of himself with Shaan, Sunidhi and composer Pritam Chakraborty from the recording studio.
"A Moment from the recording of the FIFA U-17 World Cup anthem. Shaan, Sunidhi and Pritam. Releasing soon," Supriyo captioned the image.
Shaan also teased his fans by sharing that he will soon come out with something special on September 2. However, it's unclear whether Shaan was talking about the anthem or some other single.
Along with the video, Shaan tweeted: "I have a surprise for you.. to be revealed on September 2."
FIFA U-17 World Cup will take place from October 6-28 at various venues across the country.