Singer Shaan is known across generations for his pitch-perfect vocals and his songs in many Bollywood movies. However, he feels that Gen Z doesn’t recognize him for his music, but rather for a viral clip from several years ago. In the clip, taken from one of his Instagram Live sessions, Shaan was seen reprimanding users for using abusive language. The singer said the video eventually became a meme, and now that’s how many in the Gen Z population identify him, unaware of his vast contributions to Indian music.

Shaan on how Gen Z identifies him

Recalling the viral Instagram Live session, Shaan told Mashable India, “I was reading the comments, and I did not have my spectacles on. I didn’t know that people cuss in the comments. When I was reading them out, one of them said, ‘abey aye l**da’. Someone screen-recorded me reading it, and it became a meme.”

The clip left many surprised, as Shaan mouthed a cuss word during the live session—unexpected from someone known for being soft-spoken and sweet-voiced. The video quickly made its way to the internet and soon went viral.