Ace Indian rapper King and content creator Raj Shamani joined hands to create an experience that’s long-lasting, impactful and that has the rapper’s ‘feel good’ and ‘dream big’ vibe. The collab saw the start of King’s entrepreneurship journey with the launch of Blanko, a perfume brand. Launched at the end of last month, the brand is an extension of the rapper’s persona and his vision to encourage his fans to dream big and pursue it. In a candid chat, the duo talks about their collaboration, making entrepreneurship easy and more.
Tell us how did the collaboration happen?
Raj: We both happen to record one podcast together and during that meeting, he said, ‘I want to give this feeling of King to everyone and everywhere possible’. And that’s when the seed was sown. King always wanted to do something beyond music and at that time I was mulling over House of X. So I come from a background of building consumer brands and King comes from the background of spreading the message at large and together we did something very different.
King: I am glad I did that podcast and it all happened. We both come from different sectors and we wanted to also see what happens when the ideas and visions of two people combine. At the end of the day, it’s all about the journey and not about the destination. I always wanted to do something beyond music and he understood my vision.
So we have Blacko now. What more can we expect?
Raj: We can expect nothing less than a dhamaka. Honestly speaking, every time you are about to start something new you are very nervous and sceptical, and though I am a big dreamer, insecurities and underconfidence plays on my mind. And King is a go-getter and is all about confidence. He is like we will do it. That I believe completes two people and their vision and time will only tell how big this entity will be. I am optimistic that we are going to give our hundred per cent and make sure this becomes not just a brand that everyone knows but an example for everyone around the world to see what collaborations can lead to. House of X was about how can we help every creator realise their full potential and now it’s about making everyone realise their endless potential.
King: It also opens a lot of doors. I believe there shouldn’t be any hurdle when you are dreaming. Hurdles should come when you finally hit the ground to execute it. There’s just one life and we should live it large. Hence, I stress that it’s all about the journey. For me, the endeavour should open new doors and it’s not just a product but a dream in the shape of that product. It is to show that we all have dreams and we should step up to fulfil them. And people like Raj are there to help. It’s not about competing with anyone, and I follow the same mantra in my music career as well, it’s about creating a place for yourself and your brand.
House of X’s description says the tech platform will help creators create a brand in seven days. Can you explain that?
Raj: Technically, brand building is more than seven days. It can be seven or even 70 years but we can launch a brand in seven days. What do you need to launch a brand? You need to find out who is the manufacturer, what is the product, and what will suit your company, getting designers and samples. The shipping, payment partner and customer service follows. We have solved all these issues through tools in House of X which has 100 categories. Within 48 hours you will have a prototype ready and after that, in three to four days you get samples to approve and in 7 days the brand is ready. We have really focused on our back ends and sorted things out. I genuinely believe that for people like King who have taken years to build a community, why should it be difficult for them to start a new venture? So we are there for all the heavy lifting and making the journey easy.
Coming back to King, why a perfume brand and not anything else?
King: I have always been interested in going beyond music and making my fans and my community feel good; I want to give them a feeling of King. And why a perfume brand? It’s because I didn’t want to go the merch way like other artists, that area is overcrowded. And fragrance is something that stays with you and becomes a part of your personality. With Blanko I also wanted people to experience the most expensive perfumes at a very affordable price. Blanko has two variants — Dawn and Dusk.
One of your most expensive perfume buys would be?
King: I took Creed which I really liked and in fact, these expensive buys gave me the idea for Blanko.
Which one is your favourite among the two?
King: I like Dawn more because I used to be into sports and I need something that gives the feeling of freshness all day. I have replaced Creed with Dawn and Dusk and now even my friends like them. You see khana, gaana aur khushboo cannot be imposed on anyone.
Raj: Both variants have the notes that are present in the world’s most expensive perfumes. Among the two I like Dusk more as it’s a bit strong and gets you noticed. It can be worn in the evening.
Raj, in one of your tweets you said, ‘In a few years from now: everyone will be a content creator either by choice or by force’. Do you think even doctors and engineers will become creators?
Raj: It’s already happening. That’s the only way for you to stand out. King is an artist but to connect with his audience he creates content. Similarly, for a doctor to connect with his patients and stand out and stay relevant, he needs to create content that’s useful for his consumers and to gain their trust. There’s no other way to get discovered, visible and trusted. Every purchase decision is based on the content you create. So everyone will be a creator either by choice or force and every company will be a media company either by choice or force.
King, you collaborated with Nick Jonas. Tell us how that happened and how was the experience.
King: I was touring last year when the MD of Warner Music called up and informed me that Nick Jonas wanted to collaborate with me. I have been a great fan of Nick since 2015-16 when I didn’t even do music at this scale. I used to manifest with my friends that I would like to work with Nick Jonas and there will be a day when this will happen. So when that call or opportunity came I was already prepared for it six-seven years ago. I said yes, straight away. If I would have thought much then fear or insecurities would creep in. I don’t work like that. Artistry happens from the heart... technical things are not my area of expertise. When they sent me the scratch I was blown away and I realised how brilliantly he captured the texture of the music and everything. The segue between English and Hindi was so smooth. No one would have done the global version of Maan Meri Jaan this brilliantly than Nick.
What’s next?
King: This year I have an album coming plus I have some big plans which I will announce soon.