Jay Sean's mantra for making music is to make sure he never gives audiences a track he isn't proud of. But then, creating music is not just about his own whims. What his fans want, obviously matters. "There are some songs that are so bad, they may be guilty pleasure. If I'm not proud of a track, although I know it'll be a hit, I won't put it out. I'm not doing that; no, thank you," says the British musician during a round of promotions for his new single, With You.

For many Indian music aficionados (shout out to all the '90s kids!) Sean himself was once a guilty pleasure of sorts, especially for the English pop music snobs, who'd critique him for being too desi, but play his songs on loop behind closed doors. Bridging the gap between this group and the actually-desi-but-wannabe-angrezi-music-listener, Sean, with his initial chartbuster, Dance With You, was a regular feature across playlists. That the entire world eventually warmed up to the Indian origin musician — his tracks, Ride It, Maybe and Do You Remember went on to become best-sellers across the globe — was a validation for them.