Made in Jaffna

Made in Jaffna
Studio album by
Shan Vincent de Paul
ReleasedSeptember 6, 2021
Recorded2017–2021
VenueStudio MOCA
Genres
Length12:25
LabelMaajja
ProducerShan Vincent de Paul
Shan Vincent de Paul chronology
Kothu Boys
(2020)		 Made in Jaffna
(2021)
Singles from Made in Jaffna
  1. "Savage"
    Released: May 28, 2021
  2. "Neeye Oli"
    Released: June 30, 2021
  3. "Hard Times"
    Released: July 9, 2021
  4. "Uyire"
    Released: July 23, 2021
  5. "After Life"
    Released: August 13, 2021
  6. "Made in Jaffna"
    Released: September 1, 2021
  7. "Star Crossed"
    Released: September 10, 2021

Made in Jaffna is a 14-song studio album curated by the Canadian musician Shan Vincent de Paul, which was released on September 6, 2021. It is Shan's third studio album after Saviors (2017) and Kothu Boys (2020). The album describes identity, perseverance, and reconciliation and learning to embrace the tenets of an outsider juggling multiple identities in a foreign land.

Background

In an interview with the New York-based Flaunt magazine, Paul stated:

Just my journey as an artist up to this point. It really is reflective of my community, of the Tamil community, and our experience of juggling two cultures. The story can be related to a lot of people that have left their homeland and had to juggle two cultures. It's my personal story of growing up in the West and being influenced by hip hop, my family's story of leaving Sri Lanka and dealing with that. It's my most autobiographical piece to date, 4 years in the making. I know it's cliché to say it's my most personal work, but it really is. The most vulnerable I've been on record, I'm super excited to share it.

According to Paul, he called the album his "most personal one" in an interview with Lifestyle Asia. The album is about telling the experiences of he and his family and community coming from Jaffna to Toronto due to the Sri Lankan Civil War and it also comments about the Tamil Eelam experience. He further added that "Tamilians from Sri Lanka are often synonymous with suffering. Here, an artistic renaissance is booming, underlining the redemption and resilience of South Asian communities. Via this album, I want to show others what we are capable of, and we are not about suffering any longer."

Release

When he was announced as being a part of Maajja, an independent platform launched by A. R. Rahman, he created two independent songs for the project management, one of them being the independent single "Amnesia" and this studio album. Paul decided to release 12 singles out of the 14-track album which was scheduled for release on August 11, 2021, but was launched on September 6, 2021. One of his earlier released singles "One Hundred Thousand Flowers" and "Heaven" will also be featured in the album. The first single being titled "Savage" was unveiled on May 28, 2021, with the music video being released on the same day and received overwhelmingly positive response for its picturization and composition. The second single "Neeye Oli" co-written by Arivu and composed by Santhosh Narayanan was unveiled on June 30, 2021. The track was Narayanan's second collaboration with the platform and also his second independent single after "Enjoy Enjaami", being used as a theme song for the Pa. Ranjith-directed film Sarpatta Parambarai (2021). The tracks – "Hard Times", "Uyire" and "After Life" – were launched as singles on 9, July 23 and August 13. Five days, before the album launch, on September 1, 2021, the title track "Made in Jaffna" was released and received positive response. According to Paul, the track is "a scorching tale of personal growth and resilience".

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsArtist(s)Length
1."Made in Jaffna"Shan Vincent de Paul, Robert BenvegnuDe Paul, La+ch4:16
2."Days Like This"De Paul, BenvegnuDe Paul, La+ch2:40
3."Afterlife"Coleman Hell, Pritt, Benvegnu, Sangeeth Varman, De PaulHell, Pritt, De Paul3:18
4."Hard Times"Benvegnu, De Paul, Tika SimoneDe Paul, Simone2:21
5."Savage"De PaulDe Paul2:21
6."Creep Slow"Kirishan Suresh, Benvegnu, De Paul, Shehzeb IftakharLa+ch, De Paul, Two's a Company2:53
7."One Hundred Thousand Flowers"De Paul, Yanchan Rajmohan, BenvegnuDe Paul2:51
8."Neeye Oli"Arivu, De PaulDe Paul, Navz-47, Santhosh Narayanan3:57
9."Hangin' on"Arjun Palarajah, De Paul, Yanchan RajmohanDe Paul, Rajmohan2:58
10."Star Crossed"De Paul, BenvegnuDe Paul, La+ch2:04
11."Uyire"De Paul, Rajmohan, Sujeev ThiruketheeswaranDe Paul, Rajmohan2:18
12."Heaven"Naveeni Athanosious, envegnuDe Paul, Navz-473:16
13."Seeds"De Paul, Benvegnu, Sid SriramDe Paul, La+ch, Sriram3:47
14."Die Iconic 2"De Paul, BenvegnuDe Paul, La+ch4:02
Total length:43:07

Personnel

Charts

Title Chart (2021) Peak
position
"Savage" RMNZ Hot Singles (New Zealand) 15
Billboard Top Triller (Global) 42
Billboard Top Triller (U.S.) 34
United Kingdom Asian Music Chart Top 40 14 [citation needed]
"Neeye Oli" United Kingdom Asian Music Chart Top 40 21 [citation needed]
Billboard Top Triller (Global) 39

References

  1. ↑ "Shan Vincent de Paul on his new album, the rise of Carnatic rap, and challenging traditional masculinity". indulgexpress.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rapper Shan Vincent de Paul on his most personal album, 'Made in Jaffna'". Lifestyle Asia India. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Shan Vincent de Paul's Made in Jaffna". telegraphindia.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Shan Vincent de Paul | "Neeye Oli," Fashion & Forthcoming Album 'Made In Jaffna'". Flaunt Magazine. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Turner, Rianna. "Rapper Shan Vincent de Paul Finds His Audience". Forbes. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Unchained melody: AR Rahman discusses his new platform, maajja". Hindustan Times. February 5, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  7. ↑ Majumdar, Meghna (January 27, 2021). "A. R. Rahman bats for independent musicians with new initiative 'Maajja'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  8. ↑ "AR Rahman launches Maajja, a platform for South Asian independent musicians". Cinema Express. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  9. ↑ "New platform maajja announces talents and plans for 2021". radioandmusic.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Made in Jaffna, Toronto-based Tamil rapper Shan Vincent de Paul's highly-anticipated album, is finally out". radioandmusic.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Fierce and unfiltered: Toronto-based Tamil artist Shan Vincent de Paul's releases new single 'Savage'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Toronto-based Tamil rapper Shan Vincent de Paul drops new single 'Savage'". dtNext.in. May 28, 2021. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Rapper Shan Vincent de Paul dons director's hat with cinematic music video for his track 'Neeye Oli'". radioandmusic.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  14. ↑ Akundi, Sweta (July 24, 2021). "'Neeye Oli' rapper Shan Vincent de Paul wants to bring the Tamil diaspora closer to the motherland". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Neeye Oli by Shan Vincent de Paul, synced to Pa Ranjith's next release, is finally out!". indulgexpress.com. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Santhosh Narayanan's new track 'Neeye Oli' features Shan Vincent de Paul, Navz-47". The News Minute. July 18, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  17. ↑ "The Spirit of Bravery". GQ India. December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Shan Vincent de Paul – Made in Jaffna, retrieved January 19, 2022
  19. ↑ "HOT 40 SINGLES". Recorded Music NZ. June 6, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Top Triller Global Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Top Triller U.S. Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2021.