Shane Filan, the former lead vocalist of Westlife was in India just to say a big hi to his fans. With this he released his new single 'Everything To Me', from his debut solo album 'You & Me’ and performed for the live audiences. He also gave them an insight about his upcoming project including a new track titled ‘About You’ that will feature on his upcoming album that is expected to release later this year. After India the Irish singer will head on to Philippines and Jakarta.

Radioandmusic.com speaks to South –east Asia Universal Music International Marketing senior VP Yvonne Yuen to understand their plans around Shane Filan’s solo career and to get an understanding about the Asian market.

Excerpts:

How lucrative is Asian market?

Right now, Asia is on fire. We are hot. Just look at the international gigs that happen. My footprint starts from North to South Asia and everything in between. In specific Asian markets, Justin Bieber and Rihanna are doing well. And now, we have Shane Filan who is commencing his international debut album journey through India and will also go to Philippines and Jakarta for an album that will be out soon. This is the reflection of the other world looks at the Asian markets. As per the statistics, one out of the seven Westlife albums was sold out in Asia. Today, the world is very small due to technology. During the special unveiling of the single today, the fans present sang the track which was yet to be released. That shows how fast the technology. Shane had a phenomenal career with Westlife. But we want to make a good solo career for him and we are sure he will have one.

Sales expected from you?

As an old company executive, I have noticed that We take pride on Gold and Platinum albums. It is more of recognition for us and the artiste we represent. This is the success and reward for any artistes. Today, the artistes are really holistic. They are more than their music. They have not limited themselves. We want to bring them to bigger audience. With Shane Filan, he will be coming to India more often. That is what, we want. We wish to help him get to his audiences here. He can interact with his fans and getting his album to be sold among the audiences.

Shane also wants to grow his relationship with his fans and we will help him do that in a way.
Can we say that the visit to Asia was to comprehend the fan following?

We encouraged him to take this step and told him that his fans loved and it was a visit to Asia is a must. Commencing a solo career requires bravery. He jokingly complained about being lonely but actually it is difficult for him to face the world on his own. For an artiste who has been associated to bands, this step is a big one. Knowing his talents, there is a lot in store for him. We have also been in talks for him getting into Bollywood collaboration. Also he is interested in India culture and we are working towards making things happen.

How many years contract is it with him?

It is obviously a long term relation. This visit was one of the things that we plan to do with him. There will be many more things that will happen. We are talking about next 18 months. We are in talks to get him back to India, China and Japan. Asia is huge and in one trip you cannot cover everybody. There has to be multiple trips. It is a long term play. It is not a one single thing. It is a huge project. We will just plan to take him to place where his music is in demand.

Your views on Asian artistes making an impact internationally?

Music has no boundaries. In the age of internet, good things travel very faster. However Indian music was limited to India and people didn’t know about it. They might know the song but not the artiste. Not many international artistes have come to India but the concept is now evolving. There are some many Chinese and Korean artistes who are making it huge internationally. The world is changing. Today, fans are waiting for these artistes and the boundaries have blurred.

Are you looking at any Asian artistes to go International?

For that they need to break into the Chinese and Korean market. The world is looking at this part of globe for trend. Local or domestic artistes are creating trends and the western markets are looking at these markets for new trends. The Asians market has witnessed many sensations like Girls' Generation and Priyanka in 18 months. Prior to that, even Akon and Enriquehave worked with domestic artistes. International artistes respect the fact that domestic artistes are making it huge. In last two years, things are faster than before. Next year, will be faster. Online community is quicker when it comes to spreading the word.
What percentage of growth are you looking at in the Asian market?

Year-on-year there is growth in the Asian market. Obviously, the physical sales are reducing but digital is growing. iTunes just opened in India which gives us more space for growing. In international market, there is Spotify and there are many audio streaming sites. The digital music contributes to 20-80 per cent growth depending on the market condition and many other factors. People are moving away from buying ring back tones to full single. One can buy the whole album in click of their finger that we didn’t have it 12 months ago.