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Shaan and His Sons Maahi and Soham: The Succession of Sound
From ghazals to K-pop collabs, Shaan discovers his sons aren’t following the same tune — they’re finding their own rhythm.
“Shaan, Soham, Maahi — Manas Mukherji & Sons,” reads the nameplate outside one of two studios in the family’s home. Inside, a blue wall is lined with trophies. Most bear Shaan’s name, one of India’s most familiar voices, while a few, more recent ones, belong to his younger son, Maahi, 20. Across from them hangs a framed portrait of the late composer Manas Mukherji, Shaan’s father.
There, a door opens to an open studio room, where a vintage arcade console is plastered with “Never Sober” stickers — a nod to his older son, Soham’s music production venture, co-founded with Riz Shain. There’s no clear playbook for being a fourth-generation musician, as Soham puts it. The Mukherji musical lineage started with their great-grandfather, lyricist Jahar Mukherjee and Manas Mukherji, which was followed by Shaan and his sister, Sagarika.
“I didn’t see this happening,” says the 52-year-old singer with a laugh. “Both of them were academically inclined and they kept how serious they were about music from me for some reason.” By the time they told him, they were certain that music was their calling. But thanks to them, he’s glad to be in-the-know of things: “I’ve been a little out of the scene so through them, I understand what’s trending online, and about the new digital music world.”
In a rare sit-down with The Hollywood Reporter India, Shaan, Soham and Maahi open up about forging their own musical trajectories while carrying — and sometimes, deliberately setting aside — a legacy spanning generations.
Fourth Generation
Soham, 23, straddles two parallel music worlds. Citimall, a boy-band project born during high-school lunch breaks in 2020, has been turning heads with slick self-produced videos, including ‘OK OK’. And then there’s Never Sober, which has projects pouring in.
“From the creation of the song to the music video being released, every Citimall song is done by us,” Soham says. “We might have a label partnering with us, but that’s purely from a back-end perspective. Six boys doing everything — editing, grading, shooting, directing.”
On the other hand, Maahi, just a few years younger, approaches his own releases like a seasoned professional. One of his recent singles, “Jaan Se Zyada” featured a cameo of his parents, while with his latest, “Talab”, doubles as his first step into the world of composition.
But it was while working on “Jaadugari” (a song the brothers collaborated on) that he received a crucial piece of advice from his brother and his father. “If you want to make a song your own, it’s important to be there from the start. Even if you’re working with a different composer, different lyricists, you put your two cents in.”
The youngest Mukherji’s resume also includes an early performance at the Bharat Parv stage at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. “Once you’re on stage, it doesn’t matter whether there are two people or 2,000. But there were extra jitters performing in France in front of dignitaries,” he says. Not to mention the additional pressure of being introduced on-stage by his father.
From the likes of “Tanha Dil”, “Chand Sifarish”and “Woh Ladki Hai Kahan”— Shaan’s voice is a staple in Indian households. But with his latest album, “Ghazal Ho Gayi”, his discography has taken a turn.
“Growing up in Bandra (in Mumbai), I didn’t listen to too many film songs when it came to Hindi music. It was ghazals that caught my attention. My first love in music. But I never had the confidence to compose them.” Shaan notes that while he isn’t wearing a shawl like a quintessential ghazal artist anytime soon, it’s been one of many things he’s been interested in. And this one led to his first sold-out tour in the US earlier this year.
Weight of Legacy
Despite the overwhelming response from the audience on his recent tour, Shaan’s best memories weren’t on stage. “When my wife and kids joined me in New York between shows, it felt like I was home. Otherwise, it’s just travelling from one thing to another.”
The brothers recall a different kind of tour life — family vacations tagged onto Shaan’s summer concerts, sometimes even appearing in music videos. It’s where Maahi got his first taste of live music, and how he fell in love with performing.
Unlike his brother, Soham kept his decision to make a career in music hidden. He started producing at 15, but told almost no one, wary of it becoming “a serious affair”, because of the family name. He studied music business [at the University of Southern California] — law, accounts, finance — before realising production is where his passion lies.
“He didn’t pull out my directory and call my contacts,” Shaan says. “He made his own connections.”
Legacy, they agree, is both a gift and a weight. “It’s not just about maintaining my own dignity, but also, my father’s. It’s a good push, though.” Soham adds that unlike the nepotism debate in the film world, there aren’t very many top artistes today from musical families.
Unlike their formal debuts, however, Shaan’s own was almost accidental. “I lost my father early. He put in a lot of time, effort and was completely immersed in music, which probably hurt him when he didn’t get the success he wanted,” he says, adding, “If he was still around, I would have found myself in other professions because he would never have allowed me to become an accidental singer.”
He was at the right place at the right time and when the opportunities presented themselves, he rose to the occasion. And now that he’s on the other side, guiding his boys, he has but one piece of advice to give: “You must compare yourself to the best in the business. Don’t get complacent. Nothing can replace experience.”
Way Forward
But today’s music careers require more than a song. “You have to be media-friendly, relevant on Instagram,” Shaan explains.
For Maahi, who has 101K followers on Instagram, and posts pictures of his day-today life, social media is less a burden and more a reality. “As dad said, it’s not enough to just sing. Every art evolves with time. You have to position yourself as a content creator as well, giving your personality, face, humour — your everything.”
Shaan agrees — with a caveat. “Once the audience likes the artiste, they just lap up whatever they put out. Otherwise, every song is a battle on its own.” He notices that there’s a shift where people want to relate to singers, not aspire to be them. It can be disheartening to put in one’s all and not get the numbers on a Reel. “But luckily we are in a profession where the fringe benefit is actually just doing what you are doing,” he says.
Soham’s advice? Just make music and put them out. “You learn by being embarrassed. The barrier to entry right now is literally zero — anyone can make a song on their phone.”
And speaking of making songs, the million-dollar question: Will the three of them ever release a track together?
“Yes,” Shaan says instantly. “I’ve been sending them hints and trying to block their calendars.” And when that day comes, clear your schedules and cue your playlists, because the name and the legacy tell only one part of the story. The rest is still being written in the studio, one track at a time.
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