Steven Chelliah‘s musical journey began at the tender age of 6, descending from a lineage of Indian Carnatic music composers. Though a third-generation Malaysian, his family roots extend to Tanjore, India, the birthplace of Indian Carnatic music. His latest album, Fuzasian, showcases the evolution of the jazz fusion guitarist into a composer and vocalist, effortlessly blending his jazz fusion and songwriting DNA into a coherent musical statement.
Chelliah‘s deep love for crafting timeless songs led him on a quest to seamlessly merge his jazz fusion background with songwriting. Influenced by songwriting giants such as Barry Gibb (Bee Gees), Paul McCartney, Earth Wind and Fire, and Toto, this artist is also a fervent admirer of Quincy Jones, who profoundly impacts his orchestration, arrangement, music production, and musical spirituality. The album is the triumphant result of this journey.
The lead single ‘Dreams of Yesterday’ encapsulates the nostalgia of yearning for the Californian dream as a musician. However, the verses depict someone in New York, feeling frustrated and claustrophobic.
“I wrote the song during a winter in New York City, dreaming of moving to Los Angeles… the melody of the chorus just came to mind. And the rest of the song flowed naturally.”
A virtuoso guitarist, Steven Chelliah excels in composition, songwriting, music production, and orchestration. FuzAsian was recorded, edited, and produced by himself and co-producer/engineer James Knoerl.
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