Multi-award winning Malaysian recording artist Reshmonu is on the cusp of breaking into the global market after commencing work on his international debut album with uber producer Jim Beanz from Sunset Entertainment Group, known to many as Timbaland’s protégé. Beanz and the Sunset Group are in Malaysia to help promote Reshmonu’s latest musical adventure, as well as to explore potential collaborations with other local and regional artists.
The forthcoming album, recorded in Philadelphia and slated for release in UK and North America in 2014, is the first time that Beanz is working with a Malaysian artist and also the first time that Reshmonu is working with a producer, having overseen all aspects of production himself previously. Work on the album has been progressing at a rapid pace with the first eight tracks recorded, including a much anticipated collaboration with legendary reggae artist Apache Indian. The music video to the track is currently being shot at Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, featuring Reshmonu and Apache Indian, and will be released as part of an online viral campaign as a teaser for the upcoming album.
RnB sensation Reshmonu is a well known face in the local music industry, having released albums in English, Malay and Tamil and won numerous AIM (Anugerah Industri Muzik) and other industry awards (see bio for details). The multi-talented Reshmonu is a consummate artist, involved in all aspects of music production and promotion, writing, arranging, producing and engineering his music, as well as directing and editing his own music videos, overseeing the album artwork and all aspects of his professional image. From his humble beginnings as a sound engineer, Reshmonu has scaled the heights to become one of Malaysia’s most recognisable and loved artists.
From his first award-winning English album, Reshmonu has never been one to rest on his laurels, always pushing musical boundaries to hone his craft and bring his inimitable style and passion to whatever he attempts. Having paid his dues in the local music arena over the last decade, the desire and ambition for a wider audience led him to reach out to leading international producers with the intention of breaking into the international market, primarily North America and Europe.
Sunset Entertainment Group, based in Philadelphia, responded immediately and things moved quickly from there with Reshmonu flying out to America and laying down eight tracks with the award-winning Jim Beanz. Beanz is a celebrated US producer who first made a name for himself working with Timbaland Productions. Having worked side by side with artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Timbaland, Shakira, Ciara, Jamie Foxx and Nelly Furtado amongst others, Jim is now a bona fide hitmaker in his own right, signing artists to his own imprint and moulding international stars of the future. Jim is a five-star threat – a producer, vocal producer, songwriter, singer and musician with a phenomenal track record for delivering international smash hits.
“Working with a producer is definitely a new experience for me but I felt that the time was right to break out of my comfort zone and push my creative talents in new directions and who better to help me in that direction than the man with the Midas touch – Jim Beanz,” said Reshmonu.
Spending three weeks in Philadelphia with Sunset Entertainment was an eye-opening experience for Reshmonu, both from the creative aspect of working with a top notch producer like Beanz as well as the advanced level of professionalism displayed by an established agency like Sunset. “It was incredible the way everything was organised by Sunset and the knowledge gained working with Jim will be invaluable. Most of all though was the camaraderie I felt working with the team and the amazing feeling of being in a family unit,” said Reshmonu.
Beanz was equally impressed with Reshmonu’s dedication to his craft and the way he presented his professional image. “We’re both perfectionists. If we didn’t like it we didn’t keep it. Sometimes it’s like when stars align. It just happened to be that each song we did got better than the last one,” said Beanz.
With their extensive client base and contacts within the music industry, Sunset also managed to rope in British artist Apache Indian to collaborate with Reshmonu on one of the tracks. Apache Indian has been in the music business for over two decades, selling over 11 million records worldwide and winning numerous music awards along the way, including 7 British Top 40 Hits, 4 Brit Award Nominations, CRE Award, Mercury Music Prize shortlist, Ivor Norvello Award and The International Dance Award. His music has been used in over 75 commercials and 4 films and he is set to release his new album with Sunset Entertainment group very soon.
Apache Indian is no stranger to Malaysia having visited numerous times before and he is delighted to be involved in this project with Reshmonu. “I think Resh has done a phenomenal job. He has a great voice, great tone. He’s very talented and humble, all qualities necessary for him to go far in this business. I believe that his new album will make a big impact in mainstream markets across the world,” said Apache after his debut performance with Reshmonu at an exclusive media showcase at Laundry Bar.
Reshmonu will be returning to the U.S. soon to complete recording a further eight tracks with Beanz, and is sourcing the necessary funds required to realize his dream. “I have a unique opportunity to do something potentially great while working with the best in the industry,” said Reshmonu. “Nothing is going to stop me from at least giving it all I’ve got.”
