The melodious music and lyrics of love, longing and loss are so hauntingly convincing that it is difficult to believe that the writer, composer and singer has just stepped into his teens. Jehaan Shah, 13, whose first original single, Lettin’ You Go, was released by Universal Music on March 14, 2021 (available on music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, Wynk, JioSaavn, etc), is no stranger to YouTubers, having his own channel, Officially Jehaan. His grandfather, Farrokh Khodaiji, former table tennis champion, shared this video with Parsiana.
Jehaan’s mother Parveen wrote in her email response to Parsiana’s queries that her son has won a number of inter-school elocution and speech and drama competitions, as well as sung for various causes; some of these videos are on the Internet. "However, none of those songs were original in content, and were all ‘covers’ of famous songs by well-known artists. Jehaan’s first ever cover of a song was My Melancholy Blues, originally sung by Freddie Mercury and his band, Queen. Through an unbelievable coincidence, Queen posted Jehaan’s cover of the song on their Facebook pages and YouTube Liked Videos.” Noticing this, Devraj Sanyal, chief executive officer and managing director of Universal Music for the subcontinent, began to mentor Jehaan, giving him the impetus to become an all-round artist who can write, compose, sing and play, skills that he honed during the pandemic, she explained.
Jehaan Shah with screenshot of Lettin’ You Go video
A student of the Cathedral and John Connon School who has just entered Grade 8, Jehaan was four when, the school’s music teacher realized his talent and recommended that he join the children’s choir at the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation. He trained there for four years, but with his growing interest in contemporary music, Jehaan joined the Sobo House of Music where his teachers urged him, at the age of 11, to attend the 2019 Summer Voice Program at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. Parveen describes this as "one of the happiest, most memorable two weeks ever for Jehaan.” It was on his return from Juilliard that he recorded the Queen cover.
After his voice began changing last year, Sanyal recommended that Jehaan attend vocal coaching classes with Samantha Noella of Scattitude Academy of Music. It was her expert, patient tutelage that has allowed Jehaan to be able to sing even while his voice undergoes what he calls "an extremely annoying croaky phase.”
Jehaan started learning the piano at the age of 10 and three years later is preparing for his Grade 8 music exam. Though his preferred genres are rock and pop, "his classical training and continued love for the piano ensure that he is never far from his roots. He won the ABRSM (Royal Schools of Music) award for the Best Student for his Grade 4 piano examination, getting the highest score in the city across all grades and all instruments,” wrote his mother.
But music is not his only love. He is interested in "anything connected to maths, science, computers and programing and up until the time music claimed all his spare time, was a voracious reader. He enjoys squash and loves swimming. He is a Marvel fan and a bit of a Lego fiend. He is an academic child and was awarded the Best Student of Middle School this February, when he graduated from Grade 7 at Cathedral,” shared Parveen. He is also passionate about environmental conservation.
Both Jehaan’s parents, Aashit Shah and Parveen Khodaijishah are attorneys, though she no longer practices law. She describes Jehaan, whose navjote was performed when he was seven, as "spiritual for his age, and a devout Zoroastrian who prays for 30 minutes every day. His faith is his lodestar, and gives him direction, purpose, humility and joy.” Sherene Vakil