Many of us can remember standing in front of a mirror, hairbrush in hand, belting out our favourite hits at the top of our lungs while dreaming of having hordes of worshipping fans at our feet.

However, few people actually have the drive to make that dreams a reality. Enter Arish Sirkissoon, pop-star/DJ/producer extraordinaire. Sirkissoon, who goes by the performing name ‘LX Seth,’ has carved a niche for himself in the notoriously difficult music industry. 

At just 22, he is the owner of Fusion Records, a Durban-based record label that is dedicated to promoting the talents of those in the city. 

Fame and success didn’t just fall into this young man’s lap. The humble genius built his empire on hard work and by following his dream to succeed in the cutthroat world of music. 

“ Many Indian people believe that pop music is eurocentric, and feel that we should stick to making Indian music. I’m here to show people that it’s not about skin colour, race or religion,” Sirkissoon says. 

In his own home, Sirkissoon began to understand the ways in which music could be manipulated from a very early age. He began compiling his own beats and singing over them to create tracks, all on amateur equipment. 

Years later he decided to take his tracks to the industry moguls. He recalls what a trying time it was. “It was tough. I would be in meetings seven days a week - even wearing the same coat! No one would give me the time of day!” 

Witchdoctor Records was the first company to respond positively to the barrage of demo discs that he sent out. They were so impressed by the fact that Sirkissoon had written, performed and produced the album himself, that they arranged for him to meet the then-manager of pop group 101. 

Lotus FM also got hold of one of his tracks, and played it late one evening on Club Culture, their slot for local artists. “I recall phoning everyone I know and telling them that I was going to be on the radio. It was an epic moment in my life,” Sirkissoon reminisces.

Although he has performed and worked with the likes of Baby Boy, Jae, Melanie Lowe, Pitch Black Afro and East Coast Flava, the young man maintains a level head and puts a great deal of effort into supporting up-and-coming stars. 

“Now that I’ve opened up the industry quite a bit, I want people to see all the talent that our country - and Durban in particular - has to offer. My aim is to nurture that talent,” he says. 

Fusion Records offers the opportunity to do just that. It has an open-door policy, whereby anyone can approach the company with an idea for a record and receive guidance from professionals in the industry. 

Last year Sirkissoon produced and released an album for kwaito artist Ntokzin, called Staan ’n Kyk. This was the first Fusion Records release. 

Sirkissoon, who completed a degree in Psychology and Drama at UKZN, has also tried his hand at acting and enjoyed playing a cameo role in the local production, Broken Promises, a comedy-drama about a newly married young woman. 

Asked what he regards as having been his biggest challenge to date, he simply responds: “My skin colour.” Sirkissoon claims that he has spent more time than he would have liked trying to change people’s perceptions of what local Indian artists are capable of. 

“We’ve had Indian singers who have made tracks that people would rather laugh at than buy. I want to show everyone that we can make serious, professional records,” he says.

In June 2006, Lx Seth approached industry executives with his newly completed album “Off the Hook”. The video for the first single “Turn me on” had already been shot 6 months prior to the actual meeting. In the boardroom was Shanil Singh (Lotus fm Manager), Dharam Sewraj (Head Director at Universal music) and Ekbal Umarjee (CEO Global Bollywood music).

Viewing the content presented to them, these executives new they had struck gold. On June 21 2006, ironically on Lx Seth’s birthday, he signed contracts with the SABC/Lotus Fm who will be his promotional agents in South Africa. Two months later Lx Seth signed international contracts with Global Indian giants T-SERIES. T-SERIES is India’s largest recording label. They are responsible for most of the Bollywood movies and soundtracks that we receive. With this life altering deal, Seth is now ready to take on the world literally.

The album “Off the hook” will be in the USA, UK, AUSTRALIA, INDIA ETC in the next two weeks. Here in South Africa it has already been released. This album is a milestone in South African and Indian music.  Lx says that “ it’s been a long journey, but at 22, I have truly been blessed”.

Lx Seth is one of the first Local artists to receive such a deal internationally.   This deal puts Lx Seth directly into the Bollywood circle, and if one of his tracks gets adopted for a movie, that spark is all he needs to blow up . On top of his workload Lx Seth is also completing his honours in Psychology this year at Varsity College. We prompt out youth to excel and be different. To achieve their wildest dreams, Lx Seth is the poster boy for dreams.

The singer says, “ …Although I have achieved so much so young, this skin thing is still a major issue in this industry. Music should bring people together, not tear them apart, I hope I have opened doors for others and killed discrimination”

The first single, Turn Me On, off Lx Seth’s debut album is play-listed on East Coast Radio, P4 and Lotus FM. The video, which was shot at Pop Art Café, Gateway, will soon be aired on local television stations. Paul Stainbank produced the album.

In March 2007 Lx Seth signed an endorsement deal with clothing giants eSquared. The company will provide Seth with all the latest fashions for the rest of his career. Lx SETH’s cross over record will be released in DEC/JAN 2007/8.  The album will be entitled “2110”, this means that Lx Seth will have released 2 albums in one year, making him the most successful Indian recording artist to date in South Africa.

At 23 Lx Seth has signed more deals than anymore in the industry on his debut album alone, this rising star is defiantly on the up and up.  He is the only Indian artist doing this well at the moment, and he aims to change this by producing more Indian talent.

Lx Seth’s single (Music VIDEO)  “Turn me on” just went to number 1 on Africa’s number one music channel, CHANNEL O. SETH will launch his second instalment “2110” later this year.  Seth is said to do 4 music videos for the album “2110” next month with acclaimed director Michael cross.  The record is already receiving international interest like his debut album OFF THE HOOK.