{{Short description|Indian singer and record producer}} {{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Zaeden | image = | image_size = 261x261px | caption = Zaeden in 2020 | alias = | origin = | birth_name = Sahil Sharma | birth_place = Gurgaon, Haryana, India | genre = I-pop • Pop • Dance-pop • electronic | occupation = Singer • Producer • DJ • Sound Engineer | years_active = 2014–present | label = Universal Music, Warner Music Group, Spinnin', VYRL Originals | website = {{URL|http://zaedenmusic.com/}} | landscape = yes }} '''Sahil Sharma'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-17 |title=What Keeps Zaeden Looking This Good? |url=https://www.mansworldindia.com/grooming-special/what-keeps-zaeden-looking-this-good-we-got-him-to-tell-us |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Man's World India |language=en}}</ref> (born 2 July 1995), better known by his stage name '''Zaeden''', is an Indian singer and record producer.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Isaac|first1=Christopher|title=The young and restless|url=http://www.asianage.com/entertainment/music/240117/the-young-and-restless.html|publisher=The Asian Age|date=24 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=celebrity hindi singer zaeden |url=https://nettv4u.com/celebrity/hindi/singer/zaeden |newspaper=nettv4u.com}}</ref>
==Early life and career beginnings== Zaeden was born in Gurugram, India.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-11 |title=Zaeden: I am open to exploring opportunities in Bollywood |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/zaeden-i-m-open-to-exploring-opportunities-in-bollywood-101736511962333.html |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> Growing up, he attended The Heritage School,<ref name="MidDay">{{cite news|last1=Banan|first1=Aastha|title=DJ Zaeden says ingredient of a good remix is keeping it simple and easy|url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/dj-zaeden-says-ingredient-of-a-good-remix-is-keeping-it-simple-and-easy/17931166|publisher=Mid-Day|date=22 January 2017}}</ref> where he played the tabla and piano throughout school. At the age of 14, he began performing as a DJ.<ref name="HT">{{cite news|last1=Shah|first1=Manali|title=I played tabla, guitar during school: DJ Zaeden|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/music/i-played-tabla-guitar-piano-during-school-dj-zaeden/story-4VWaWGbwG5oHrdBU4OoaFJ.html|work=Hindustan Times|date=9 February 2017}}</ref> He briefly studied mass communication at Amity University, Noida before relocating to Mumbai to study sound engineering.<ref name="HT"/>
Sharma stated that his given name was too common in India, and so he chose the stage name "Zaeden" as it meant "out of the box thinking" in Latin.<ref name="Hindu">{{cite news|last1=Paitandy|first1=Priyadarshini|title=DJ Zaeden on the origin of his name, and the emotional tug of certain songs|url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/dj-zaeden-on-his-music/article17538461.ece|work=The Hindu|date=20 March 2017}}</ref>
==Personal life== Zaeden got married on October 26, 2024, to DJ Nina Shah in an intimate wedding ceremony held in Goa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zaeden Reflects on the Beginning of His Love Story with Nina: Our Connection Through Music - Exclusive |url=https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/bollywood/zaeden-nina-love-story-music-article-151594104 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=Zoom TV |language=en}}</ref>
==Career== Sharma began his career at the age of 14,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Arora|first1=Naina|title=DJ Zaeden says Delhi is always open to new music|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/music/dj-zaeden-says-delhi-is-always-open-to-new-music/story-Pog3e0OqHzI8TP3wdezNvI.html|work=Hindustan Times|date=9 February 2017}}</ref> by mixing tapes of dance music releases and distributing them among his friends, which led him to release his first single titled "Land of Lords" in 2014.<ref name="Hindu"/> That same year, his remix of Coldplay's "Magic" aired on Dutch DJ Hardwell's radio show Hardwell On Air, making him one of the youngest DJs to be featured on the show.<ref name="MidDay"/> He further released his official remix of Maroon 5's single "Don't Wanna Know" that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=DJ Zaeden : Going places!|url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2017-02-22/DJ-Zaeden--Going-places/282440|publisher=The Hans India|date=22 February 2017}}</ref>
In 2015, he signed with Spinnin' Records and released his single "Yesterday," a collaborative effort with American DJ Borgeous.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zwilling |first=Eric |url=http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2015/12/borgeous-zaeden-yesterday-original-mix/ |title=Borgeous & Zaeden – Yesterday (Original Mix) |publisher=Dancing Astronaut |date=28 December 2015 |access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref>
In 2016, Sharma was a closing act for DJ David Guetta's Mumbai concert.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ganguly|first1=Srijani|title=Meet the DJ who got to close David Guetta's Mumbai concert|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/music/story/dj-zaeden-maroon-5-dont-wanna-know-david-guetta-mumbai-concert-lifest-961465-2017-02-19|work=India Today|date=19 February 2017}}</ref> That same year, he became one of the few Indian artists to have performed at the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium, where he premiered "Yesterday" along with his remix of Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself."<ref name="HT"/> In July of that year, Sharma released his second single under Spinnin' titled "Never Let You Go," a collaborative effort with DJ duo Nina & Malika.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tagat|first1=Anurag|title=Zaeden's musical notes|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Zaedens-musical-notes/article14472613.ece|work=The Hindu|date=4 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ganguly|first1=Srijani|title=This 21-year-old DJ chooses to be behind the turntable simply because it makes him happy|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/music/story/21-year-old-dj-sahil-sharma-zaeden-never-let-you-go-lifest-336366-2016-08-21|work=India Today|date=21 August 2016}}</ref> The track featured vocals by Cimo Frankel, and the subsequent music video was shot across Europe.<ref name="Zaeden is new spin sensation">{{cite news|title=Zaeden is new spin sensation|url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Sunday-Hans/2016-08-28/Zaeden-is-new-spin-sensation/250850|publisher=The Hans India|date=28 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Gautam|first1=Tanya|title=Making crowd go crazy|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Making-crowd-go-crazy/article14566453.ece|work=The Hindu|date=12 August 2016}}</ref> He was also featured on GQ magazine's 'Best Dressed List 2016' and MensXP's list of ‘Top 50 Indians who defined fashion in 2016.'<ref>{{cite news|title=DJ Zaeden collaborates with Maroon 5 for 'Don't Wanna Know' remix|url=http://www.radioandmusic.com/entertainment/editorial/news/170109-dj-zaeden-collaborates-maroon-5-dont-wanna|publisher=Radio & Music|date=9 January 2017}}</ref> He also spoke at the TEDx conference at The Heritage School that year.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nadadhur|first1=Srivathsan|title=Talking 'music' with DJ Zaeden|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Talking-%E2%80%98music%E2%80%99-with-DJ-Zaeden/article14583519.ece|work=The Hindu|date=22 August 2016}}</ref>
In 2017, Sharma released his official remix of Maroon 5's collaborative effort with American rapper Kendrick Lamar, "Don't Wanna Know."<ref>{{cite news|title=DJ Zaeden : Going places!|url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2017-02-22/DJ-Zaeden--Going-places/282440|publisher=Hans India|date=22 February 2017}}</ref> He also released his third single titled "City of the Lonely Hearts" featuring Cimo Frankel. That same year, he was one of the opening acts for the Mumbai date on Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour.<ref>{{cite news|title=Justin Bieber India Concert: Highlights|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/music/Justin-Bieber-leaves-India-hours-after-Mumbai-concert/photostory/58639843.cms|work=The Times of India|date=12 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Zaeden and Sartek to open Justin Bieber's purpose tour India|url=http://www.radioandmusic.com/entertainment/editorial/press-releases/170427-zaeden-and-sartek-open-justin|publisher=Radio & Music|date=27 April 2017}}</ref>
On 5 September 2019, Zaeden released his first Hindi non-film song, "tere bina" on VYRL, Universal Music along with a music video featuring Amyra Dastur. A few weeks later, he released its acoustic version with Jonita Gandhi. A regular performer at Tomorrowland, he debuted "tere bina" during his third appearance there.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}
He went on to release four more singles, "kya karoon?", "dooriyan", "intezaar," and "socha na tha". He also collaborated with Lost Stories for "Noor," and Sez on the Beat for "Kahaani 2020". In 2021, he released his debut album titled "Genesis 1:1". It featured 11 tracks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zaeden Talks About His Debut Album Genesis 1:1 {{!}} Grazia India |url=https://www.grazia.co.in/people/zaeden-talks-about-his-debut-album-genesis-11_-7664.html |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.grazia.co.in |language=en}}</ref>
The 25-year-old has been featured on GQ's Best Dressed and MensXP's ‘Top 50 Indians who defined fashion in 2016’ list.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Sanjana |date=2024-09-28 |title=GQ Best Dressed 2024: Badshah, Zaeden bring the house down at the coolest party of the year |url=https://www.gqindia.com/content/gq-best-dressed-2024-badshah-zaedan-bring-the-house-down-at-the-coolest-party-of-the-year |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=GQ India |language=en-IN}}</ref> He has collaborated with designers Shantanu & Nikhil, and Siddhartha Tytler.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B37CRfMBUt-/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.instagram.com}}</ref>
In 2023, He launched his own fragrance brand "SOL".<ref>{{Cite web |last=IN |first=FashionNetwork com |title=Pop artist Zaeden launches unisex fragrance brand 'Sol' |url=https://in.fashionnetwork.com/news/Pop-artist-zaeden-launches-unisex-fragrance-brand-sol-,1540792.html |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=FashionNetwork.com |date=27 July 2023 |language=en-IN}}</ref>
==Discography==
=== Albums === * ''Genesis 1:1'' (2021)
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;" | Year !Album ! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Song !Co-singer |- | 2014 |{{Non-album single}} | scope="row" | Land of Lords |Syzz |- | 2015 | | scope="row" | Yesterday |Borgeous |- | 2016 | | scope="row" | Never Let You Go |<big>{{small|Nina & Malika}}</big> |- | rowspan="2" | 2017 | | scope="row" | City of the Lonely Hearts |<big>{{small|Cimo Fränkel}}</big> |- | | scope="row" | Tere Jaane Se |Ankit Tiwari |- | rowspan="3" | 2018 | | scope="row" | Tempted to Touch |Rupee |- | | scope="row" | Something like |Yves V, Jermaine Fleur |- | | scope="row" | Uncomplicated |Lost Stories, Matthew Steeper |- | rowspan="2" | 2019 | | scope="row" | tere bina | |- | |tere bina (Acoustic) |Jonita Gandhi |- | rowspan="7" | 2020 | rowspan="2" |''Genesis 1:1'' | scope="row" | kya karoon? | |- | scope="row" | dooriyan | |- | | scope="row" | Kahaani 2020 |Sez on the Beat, Enkore, yungsta, Lit Happu, Shayan Roy |- | | scope="row" | Noor |Lost Stories, Akanksha Bhandari |- | rowspan="2" |''Genesis 1:1'' | scope="row" | intezaar |somanshu |- | scope="row" | socha na tha | |- | | scope="row" | for Christmas |Natania |- | rowspan="8" |2021 | rowspan="6" |''Genesis 1:1'' |yaadein |AAKASH |- |1000 pieces |Polar |- |jaaye na tu |Nishu |- | scope="row" | KTMBK |Hanita Bhambari |- | scope="row" | days | |- | scope="row" | kho gaya |Yashraj, AAKASH |- | | scope="row" | Settle Down |Fly By Midnight |- | | scope="row" | Setting Sail (Soundtrack from "Modern Love" Season 2) |Lisa Mishra |- | rowspan="2" | 2022 | | scope="row" |Paas Aa |AAKASH |- | | scope="row" |Lagda Na |Stunnah Beatz |- | rowspan="3" |2023 | |Aa Mil |Lisa Mishra |- | |jaana | |- | |Dreams | |- | rowspan="4" |2024 | |5 am | |- | |Aawara |King, Kshmr |- | |pia <3 | |- | |Deewana | |- |2025 | |Raaz<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poorvaja |first=S. |date=September 15, 2025 |title=Singer-songwriter Zaeden on his new song ‘Raaz’ and what inspires his music |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/singer-songwriter-zaeden-on-his-new-song-raaz-and-what-inspires-his-music/article70037236.ece |access-date=January 1, 2026 |website=The Hindu}}</ref> | |}
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Living people Category:21st-century Indian musicians Category:Indian DJs Category:Progressive house musicians Category:1995 births Category:Indian electronic musicians Category:Musicians from Haryana Category:Electronic dance music DJs