We were lucky to catch up with Debjit Das recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Debjit thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It was after I got kicked out of college. Just for a year, my grades were too low. That was when I felt like I really woke up.

Until then I feel as if I had been operating on “NPC” mode. Finish high school, go to college, get a job, yadda yadda. This moment essentially completely reset me and forced me to ask, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?”

Music had always been around for me. I used to jam with friends, play trumpet throughout grade school, and do marching band and jazz band; my aunt is an Indian classical trained singer, and I “managed” my friend’s band for a little bit. For me, I know I had the taste and personality for it and I started to realize I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.

This was back in 2015. Now, I’m still continuing, and the path has changed drastically, more so within my mind than anywhere else.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Debjit, and I’m an Indian-American music artist and event producer. I aim to set an example for a younger version of me, a child of immigrant parents, on what is possible in life. This can be professional or, as I’ve come to learn recently, mental.

I grew up on Indie and Alternative rock music, still listen to RnB regularly today, have found a love in any music that feels it has soul to it, and have pulled all of these influences into my artist project, which lives in the Dance/Electronic world. My music lyrically outlines empowerment. I spend a lot of time looking inward and learning about myself through wellness and mindfulness, all of which influence these lyrics. However, sonically, I tend to keep things smooth, lush, and sexy. My angle has always been to create for people who love music as a whole. Good music is good music, and I love to play a part in this.

Historically, I’ve combined my love of in-person experiences with my music. I’ve organized high-production events and intimate experiences, all centered around my creative pursuits. The goal in these situations has always been to get like-minded people together and create an experience for them to share collectively. Through enough shared experiences, a culture can shift and the narrative of history can change.

You can find video captures of these events on the Shae District Youtube.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

It is not a resource but a way of living creatively that has affected me so much.

Collaborate. Collaborate often. Most importantly, I want to collaborate with good people.

Before, when I would hear collaborate, I thought, “Of course, that’s obvious. You learn from each other and get in front of each other’s audience.”

Only recently did I realize that’s not why you should collaborate. You should collaborate to create with good-hearted, like-minded people you share values with. When you create with people you energetically align with, it does something incredible for your mind and soul. Most importantly, any entrepreneurial pursuit, especially in the arts, can be isolating. Doing this lets you discover who your community and people are.

It’s not the journey or the destination that matters more. It’s the company.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To know I gave it my all. I won’t be satisfied living my life at 80%. If I don’t give my 10%, no matter how successful I am, I know I could have done more to make myself proud.

To other creatives reading, this doesn’t mean to burn yourself out. It means to ask yourself seriously, are you giving your best effort? If you are, then the outcome is irrelevant.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shaedistrict.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shaedistrict
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shaedistrict
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debjit-das-shae
• Twitter: https://x.com/shaedistrict?lang=en
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/shaedistrict
• SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/shaedistrict
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7h9Pbr7lcfxk8TyOXe8uCX?si=-mDfkzjOTbCDqub1Wrlt1A

Image Credits
All photos except Electric Forest and the file listed as LastHeroes: “Hudson Ratzlaff” Electric Forest: Shambo Scott