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Not many people will have heard about the artist that we are going to be interviewing today but mark my words this is the beginning of something very big for this man. Its none other than the producer behind the biggest single of 2009 Bewafa Hakan Ozan. Hakan is also responsible for the singles Nai Reina, and Qut Qussian Da on Imran’s debut album UNFORGETTABLE.

Adzo from the Desi-Box.com Team had the privilege to interview the talented Hakan Ozan. This has to be one of the most intresting interviews after Eren's we have done to date, check below of what went down.

01. Adzo DB: Hi Hakan, for all the viewers out there who are not familiar with your name, please could you give us a brief introduction as to who you are and what your role was on the smash hit album UNFORGETTABLE?

Hakan Ozan: Hi, my name is Hakan Ozan, 26 years and living in The Hague - Netherlands. Music, that was something that I grew up with. From a little age I used to go with my father to his studio, it was a real analoge studio and it was a hell of a experience. When my father finally retired his career I started my own at the age of 16. Since then I have worked with different musicans with different styles. My role in this album is that we have mixed my experience with different styles with the style of Imran..

Finally we have achieved a new style for the punjabe hit scene and came up with the unforgettable album. 

02. Adzo DB: Before you decided to work with Imran Khan what were you getting up to? Have you released any material prior to producing tracks 13-15 on unforgettable?

Hakan Ozan: Before Imran I was working on mixtapes for the people underground, I also did a remix for a well known turkish rapper and singer from Turkey.
  
03. Adzo DB: So how did you manage to hook up with one of the biggest names in the bhangra industry at this moment in time – Imran Khan?

Hakan Ozan: I was working on a few mixtapes like I said before and I knew Eren E from his dj career and remixes and I heard he was the neighber of a good friend of me. At the same time I needed some samples for my studio, I was not that pcfreak how to get those things from internet. So I asked that friend of my if he could ask Eren for some samples. The next day we met at his studio and  talked ofcourse about music and he told me that he stopped his dj career just to work on the album of Imran Khan. So I was thinking okay that is serious business to stop your good going dj career!

Than I had listened a few songs that was instrumentally finished with some demo vocals. The songs that I heard was: Aaja Ve Mahiya (slow version), Gora Gora Rang, Gora Gora Rang remix (unreleased) Ni Nachleh, Ni Nachleh remix (unreleased) and other few songs. You are not going to believe it but it was 2004 november that I heard this......so do the math....and Eren was working with Imran early 2004. So and than I came often to Eren and saw Imran a few times also there. At the same time I had my own  car hi-fi shop so Eren went by one day and they heard one of my songs. That moment Eren asked who made this, this beat is sick, wich artist is this from? When I told him it was mine, he was getting more interesting in my work. He called Imran right away to say we need to get Hakan Ozan in the crew for better ideas. So Imran was also impressed and called Shahid Mazhar (Prestige Records) to say that we need Hakan Ozan and he was giving green light for me to join the crew after he heard my work also.

04. Adzo DB: You being from a Turkish background how difficult was it to take on the project of producing three songs for a Punjabi album?
      
Hakan Ozan: It was a new challange, I did not worry about it because I was going to create a new sound for the punjabi scene with my own sound and Imran was open minded to do that and not to do that  typical tumbi dhol instrument songs. So I still did my own thing like I did before, that is why they wanted me to make my own style music mixed with Imran Khan.

05. Adzo DB: How was it like working with Imran in the studio? Did he instruct you as to how he wanted the music made, did he leave it for you to experiment with and decide, or was it a mixture of both?

Hakan Ozan: Working with Imran in the studio, hahahah ah man I have to be honest on this one! working with Imran could sometimes irritating. he wanted to take control of everything but I really dont like that, sometimes he wants his own way like we did on Nai Reina with his vocals, we did it his way instead of that I asked Imran to change the whole flow and singing melody. Also he wanted to make to songs shorter and not make extra verses because he didnt want to write too much lyrics. I always expiriment before I show the beat to Imran. After that he sometimes wanted to add a little thing here and there, but that was not a big deal. It was actually a new studio experience to work with Imran in the studio needs real patience, but after that you will get used to him.

06. Adzo DB: As some will already know you produced one of the ‘biggest’ tracks of 2009, this was of course none other than BEWAFA. The videos been airing on all the major music channels, we here at Desi-Box have been bombarded with hit after hit for the video. How did it feel to get such positive feedback for one of your produced songs?
     
Hakan Ozan: It feels great! I think this is going to be a classic song that will be played after 50 years later. It couldn't get much better for Imran to get 2 big monster hits, a new star was born and now the new video of  Bewafa made him upgrade to a superstar thats flying. It was a dream of all three of us! to make big records and get in the spotlight, three years ago I made jokes about it,  and now just one of us living that dream....I am proud to make a big record and I hear it every day on the radio!
      
07. Adzo DB: The lyrics in bewafa are very deep, meaningful and for many mirror their personal experiences, how easy or difficult was it to come up with a beat that would accompany the heartfelt lyrics?

Hakan Ozan: It all started with Imran, he came up with a lead melody line, so I took and changed a little  and made a real hard club beat of that melody when Imran heard that he said oh my god! this is it! he came to my studio and did write some lyrics while the beat was playing after one hour we recorded the song with the Bewafa lyrics. I aksed Imran whats the meaning of your words, he said: dont worry it is perfect! it was perfect to me although I did not understand it. So everybody loved and went crazy about the song. After a  few months Shahid Mazhar came to the Netherlands and went straight to the studio and was listening the progress of the song we all made. He stopped the song while Bewafa was playing. He said: Imran I told you so many times, the lyrics doesnt fit with the beat! but I never heard that from Imran. So Shahid asked me  to make a beat which fits into his lyrics after he told me exactly what the lyrics was all about. It had to be emotional with a little bollywood flavour on my feelings. I love making emotional songs, so it went to studio and let go of all of my emotions and started to make the beat in a few hours. It was perfect, after I finished that song we listened, and there was real silence while the song was playing, everybody in the room felt the emotional touching in his soul.

08. Adzo DB: Is their a possibility that we could hear more from Hakan Ozan and Imran Khan in the near future?
      
Hakan Ozan: It is too early to say, time will tell us. During the period of making the album there were made many promises for me and Eren. But none of that until the day of now we can not see.  So that is why it is to early to say that we might work together in the future again.

09. Adzo DB: Is there anything else that we should look out for from you in the future?
       
Hakan Ozan: 2010 is going to be a very busy year for me, there is a new turkish band called Reyting which I have to do their album for the turkish scene after that Me and Eren E going to work together on our album with fresh new talents for the UK scene it is going to be bigger, faster and stronger!

10. Adzo DB: Thank you for taking out the time to participate in the interview, any final words for the fans out there that have appreciated your music and waiting in anticipation for much more?

Hakan Ozan: I want to thank everybody that is admiring and listening to the song I have produced. For any other question everybody can contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or myspace.com/hakanozan.

BUY: Imran Khan - Unforgettable - iTunes