Want to diversify your music collection? Meet singer-songwriter Dameer Khan! Dameer is an indie pop-rock artist making his name in Bangladesh. Pairing his Bangladeshi upbringing with his love of Western indie pop-rock by mixing modest beats with hypnotizing melodies, Dameer is leading a new era in Bangladeshi music. With hits like “Amar Jaan” and “Bashbo Bhalo,” here are seven things about Dameer!

Western Rock Influences

“I grew up like full Western music influenced. Of course, when I was young, I was into nu-metal, some dubstep, I was the biggest Skrillex fan for a while, but that’s just what we used to listen to. It was a lot of EDM, hard rock, metal… Basically, I had been listening to anything some suburban kid in America in 1997 was listening to, but in 2012,” Dameer shared with Majestic Journal. His older neighbor introduced him to classic rock artists such Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and Black Sabbath.

He’s Global! Life in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Ghana, and Canada

Dameer was born and raised in Bangladesh, but moved to Malaysia as a teenager. He then spent a few months in Ghana, recorded music in Germany, and studied in Canada for college. His diverse experiences make him a multidisciplinary creative as he takes inspiration from artists around the world, such as Sweatshirt, Charli XCX, and Ezra Collective.

South Asian Music is Very Recent For His Career

Dameer has always been exposed to Bangladeshi music, but western rock was what inspired him originally. He told Majestic, “All of my Bangladeshi and Indian influences only started to come into my music in the last year or two.” With his admiration for Western rock and roots in Bengali classics, he is creating his own world of music by incorporating the best of both worlds. “Amar Jaan” and “Bashbo Bhalo” are just his Bangla beginnings.

Knows How to Put on a Show

Dameer has had several sold out shows in his home country of Bangladesh. After his headlining concert in Dhaka during December 2022, Dameer is set to hit the stage at Dhaka Groove, a new music festival in the capital city focusing on modern, diaspora musicians. With youthful anthems and ability to bridge the music of the East and West together, his fans, Dameeracles, sing along to every verse.

Makes Music that Resonates with Social Commentary on Gen Z

A lot of Dameer’s music comes from the world around him and the human experience, and a couple of his music videos even hit the one million views club! Ideated from themes such as politics, love, life, mental health, and friendship, he shares stories in a way that captures raw human emotions. “If we, as young people, as artists, are not trying to find something that makes Bangladesh beautiful, we are going to step into an artistic quagmire, a cultural quicksand that we will never get out of. This should be the start of a new movement re-aligning the public image of Bangladesh, because we can do so much more,” he shared with The Daily Star.

According to DIY, “Amar Jaan” is motivated by a long distance relationship that took place around a time of political unrest, both internationally and at home in Bangladesh. About the song, Dameer said, “I felt like the world was falling apart. I found that when it was going well, this relationship would relieve me of a lot of these existential anxieties, however we also had our issues that were further exacerbated by the distance. The song talks about how beautifully escapist it all was, and about how I felt like time was moving ever so painfully slowly as I adapted to a new home.”

His Father Introduced Him to Music

Dameer’s father, Pilu Khan, is a musician himself and a member of the legendary Bangladeshi band, Renaissance, yet never imposed music on him. From there, his passion grew into a steady love for music. Dameer’s musical diversity has taught him to play instruments, ranging from the piano to the guitar to flute and even dabbling in drums.

He Has a Huge Vision for the Bangladeshi Music Industry

Dameer dreams of a music industry in Bangladesh with more power to the artist through following regulations, organizing proper deals, and exploring new genres as a whole. “As soon as I started gaining some confidence in my production, I would send it to big YouTube channels, labels, music blogs, and stuff like that. I just kept sending them and years passed by and one of them finally replied. And that’s the company that eventually signed me,” he told The McGill Daily. He believes that the current state of the music industry in Bangladesh is very underdeveloped and doesn’t think he would be able to make it just from there. However, he does recognize that the industry is changing from what he used to feel as a kid. Overall, Dameer has a huge vision for the future.

Keep up with Dameer by following him on Instagram and TikTok!

Want more coverage of South Asian musicians? Check out our Artist Spotlight with Indian American singer Radha here!

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