Both markets are crucial, says Romanian musician Akcent

Following his apparent dig at India ahead of Pakistan tour last year, Romanian musician Akcent, who recently released Lost in love, on his controversial comments

For an artiste with a significant fan-following in India, Romanian musician Adrian SînÄu00c2u0083, aka Akcent, raised eyebrows when he continued to praise Pakistan's 'fantastic tea', ahead of a tour in the neighbouring country. Reports spread fast about his 'dig' at India, and Indian wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman, but though Akcent was unhindered while repeatedly making the comment, he seems elusive when addressing if they were directed at India.

"Maybe, they think that I am more attached to their country than I am to India. But, I respect my fans, no matter where they come from. Pakistan is [a promising market] for me, as an artiste. There, I have a lot of fans who connect with my music. Over the years, I have had many shows there, as I have in India too. I don't want to be involved in the discussion between India and Pakistan, or make comments and be misunderstood. It is more important [for me] to come to India and sing for [my fans], as I must in places like Bangladesh and Pakistan too," he says.

The musician may have had the best technology at his disposal when creating revered tracks like That's my name, I'm sorry, and My passion, but he had to make do with a home-studio — set-up for the first time in his two-decade-long career — to bring forth last week's release, Lost in love. "Everyone [associated with the song] created their parts at home. If there wasn't a lockdown, I would usually work from my bedroom, if needed. Now, I was forced to create [a studio] in my daughter's room," he laughs, adding that even though the lockdown in hometown Romania was recently lifted, it will be a while before musicians like him can host concerts. "The job of an artiste involves [catering to] large audiences. Next to restaurants and the hospitality industry, it is the entertainment [industry] that is in trouble. If artistes can't sell tickets, the income is zero. And we need to think about how many people, whether that's a front-man or the tech experts and managers working behind the scenes, have been affected."

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