Spicy with a dash of Chatgaiya chilli

When Fuad Almuqtadir released his first track of 2024 two weeks ago, collaborating with Xefer, Sanjoy, and American creator Hazel Rose, he was well aware that the song was provocative and engaging. 

With over one million YouTube views and thousands of fans creating TikTok reels with their own dance routines already, the engagement is evident.

However, Fuad and co were displeased by how parts of the lyrics were misinterpreted and distorted by a certain sect of listeners.

Around 90 seconds into the English pop song, unexpectedly, you hear Xefer singing a snippet of Fuad's 'Shona Bondhu' from his 2006 album 'Variation No. 25' in a Chatgaiya dialect. Which is a homage to legendary folk singer Shefali Ghosh's "Shona bondhu tui amare korli re dewana," 

Fuad and Xefer's version goes, "Shona bondhu tui amare bhota daa diya kaitta laa." This specific segment was distorted and attracted much of the negativity due to Xefer's pronunciation and the negative interpretations that followed.

"Well, honestly, if a certain section of listeners end up distorting rather straightforward lyrics into something else, we can't really do anything about it. We knew what we wanted [to convey] and what our true intentions were. It was never about triggering listeners," says Fuad. 

No matter how you look at it, the most highlighted part of the song is undoubtedly the hook, where Fuad's 'Shona Bondhu' is mixed in. If Bangladeshis recall the song years later, this is the segment that they will recall first.

However, Fuad admits it was "one hundred percent peer pressure" that led him to integrate this sample into the mix. While composing the track, he was casually playing around with the chords of 'Shona Bondhu,' and everyone, including Xefer and Sanjoy, insisted that the song be included in the final production.

"Personally, I had a lot of attachment to Shonda Bondhu while growing up. I told Fuad bhaiya to imagine the reaction from fans if this song was highlighted in the final record, and I think the reaction has been solid," said Sanjoy, who, among other things, also served as a co-producer on 'Spicy.'

Of course, the song had other interesting segments and also a bigger picture working as a driving force behind it. For starters, Spicy was particularly unique for a few of its lyrics referring to the once-world-famous girl pop band, the 'Spice Girls.'

"I love the reference to each and every member of the Spice Girls. It's very nostalgic of the 2000s in that regard," said Fuad.

In terms of the larger narrative behind the recent collaboration of Bangladeshi artists with other international names, this is an attempt by the likes of Fuad and Xefer to connect the Eastern and Western hemispheres by producing relatable content.

"We are pop producers. We want to make US Top 40 music. The goal is to take artists from here [Bangladesh] who are "exportable" and collaborate with local US artists. Eventually, we want to build a catalogue big enough to present to a bigger company like Warner Brothers or Sony. You could think of this as a startup," explained Fuad.

Sanjoy looks at this as a team game and not a one-man show. In his words, he feels, "This is a village moving a mountain. It's not one person's work."

Before concluding our rather short conversation, I asked whether they were happy with the final product that they had made. In short, the two producers are quite over the moon.

"I am one thousand percent happy and satisfied! Ultimately, it's up to the audience how they want to receive it, but we are happy regardless. We are entertainers and we just want to provide entertainment. Our work is never about going viral for the wrong reasons," concluded Sanjoy.