Shaan became an internet sensation after reading abusive comments during his Instagram live session during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Shaan went viral for the wrong reasons during the Covid-19 pandemic. When the world was in lockdown, Shaan, like other celebs, tried to connect with his fans via Instagram Live. However, his experience was not that good. During the session, the singer read some abusive comments aloud and slammed them for being abusive. However, his fans screen-recorded his live and shared the specific clip in which he read the comments. Soon, it led to a flood of memes online.
Now, almost 5 years later, Shaan has reacted to the controversy. In an interview with Mashable India, the singer explained, “I was reading the comments without my glasses on. I didn’t know that people abuse in the comments. When I was reading the comments, I just read it like that: #$%@#. But, the real thing was that someone screen-recorded me live and that became a big meme.
Eventually, it became my identity.”
Shaan, who is known for songs like “Main Aisa Kyun Hoon”, “Chaand Sifarish”, “All Is Well” and “Woh Ladki Hai Kahan”, said that today’s Generation Z recognises him not from his singing career but from the meme that went viral a few years ago.
“Generation Z remembers me not as a singer but as the abusive uncle. When my sons’ friends meet them, they say, ‘Hey, so he’s your father?’ Then they confirm it by showing them memes. Covid has made us go through a lot of weird experiences.”
During his Instagram live session, a frustrated Shaan said, “Stop saying $#@$%. What is all this? Who are these people? Can you please show respect? This shows your upbringing. Please ask your teachers and parents about my identity. Haven’t I sung so many popular songs that you all can recognise me.” He read out some more abusive comments and said, “I don’t want to be popular among these people.”
The clip of this video was also shared on Reddit, where his fans expressed their anger. One user wrote, “How can such a good singer be insulted so much?” Another user commented, “I am sure these are the same people who would beg him for selfies if they had met him in real life. Hiding behind fake names and DPs and abusing celebs is cowardice.”
