Adnan Sami on the age of algorithms: Virality is just a new name for a superhit

From delivering chartbusters like Lift Karadey, Tera Chehra, and Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao to carving a niche as a singer, composer, and performer, Adnan Sami has witnessed the evolution of music across generations. Known for being one of the fastest keyboard players in the world, he has seen the industry transition from cassettes and CDs, to streaming platforms and now the era of reels and viral culture. Despite the changing landscape, Adnan believes the essence of music remains the same.‘Earlier, audiences were far more patient’Talking about how virality has become the buzzword in today’s music industry, Adnan says the phenomenon itself is not new. “You see, terminology keeps changing. What you call virality today was called a superhit in the past. What you call an item song today was earlier known as a cabaret song. So, the words change, but the principles remain the same,” he says, adding that what has truly changed is the audience’s patience span.“The concept of longevity has changed because people have changed. Earlier, audiences were far more patient. Look at cinema – Sholay actually flopped in its first couple of weeks before slowly picking up, and the rest is history. Today, your fate is sealed over a weekend. And this isn’t just happening in our field. It’s happening everywhere. In sports, you started with five-day Test cricket, then came One Day Internationals, then T20s, and now even 10-over formats. Eventually, they’ll probably just do a toss and say, ‘Right, you won!’” he laughs.‘I use AI as an assistant to create rough demos’While he admits to using AI tools in music production, Adnan, who recently dropped his single, Lipstick, is clear that technology can only assist and not replace originality. “I use AI extensively as an assistant. Things that would earlier take hours, sometimes even days, can now be done much faster with AI-based tools. I’m not talking about composing melodies – I mean the technical embellishments around the music. Sometimes, when I compose a song, I first create a rough demo using AI tools just to get an idea of how it might sound. But I always come back to the human element in the end. Because ultimately, the nucleus has to be yours. The DNA has to be yours. There’s no escaping that. The soul of the music must belong to you. AI can help enhance things, but it cannot replace the core creative identity.”‘Everything around us has accelerated’Drawing parallels with the larger world, Adnan Sami shares, “It’s the same with food – you have fast food versus gourmet dining. The world has started moving psychologically very fast. But the funny thing is, while everything around us has accelerated, it still takes 365 days for the earth to go around the sun. That hasn’t changed. Which means the speed is psychological.”Adnan also points out how songs themselves have become shorter over the years. “Tera Chehra was around seven minutes long, and even the video was about five minutes. Today, songs are usually three-and-a-half to four minutes at best. Earlier, songs had three or four antaras. I was working in that format for many years. One day, I was collaborating with some younger musicians, and after finishing the track, I asked, ‘Where’s the second antara?’ They looked at me in shock and said, ‘Second antara?’ That’s when I realised how much things had changed.”‘You can’t say making music in any format is easy today’The musician, however, refuses to believe that shorter music means easier music. In fact, he insists the challenge today is even greater. “Every profession has its own challenges. A television actor might be looked down upon, but the truth is that the television actor probably reaches far more people because he enters people’s homes every single day. The same thing happens in music. A classical musician may say, ‘My performance lasts 30 minutes, while pop artistes finish in three or four minutes.’ Then there’s the advertising composer whose music lasts only 30 seconds, and he has to hook you in just those few seconds. So, you can’t say making music in any format is easy today. In fact, it has become more difficult.”