TikTok star Sheena Melwani’s ‘Interrupted’ series gives the singer a second shot at fame and the chance to raise money for charity
- Featuring the shouting of a cranky off-screen heckler nicknamed ‘The Real Indian Dad’, the ‘Interrupted’ series has become quite the sensation on social media
- In 2009, Melwani took a break from singing to start a family. Now, she has earned praise from stars such as John Legend and has 2.5 million followers on TikTok
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced performers around the world to take their work online this year – and for some, the move has been a revelation.
US-based singer-songwriter Sheena Melwani’s “Interrupted” series – song performances featuring the shouting of a cranky off-screen heckler – has become something of a global sensation, gaining her more than 250 million online views on a range of platforms.
On TikTok earlier this year, Melwani posted a recording of her performance of the song If the World Was Ending by Canadian singer-songwriter JP Saxe being interrupted by an unnamed man – now known as The Real Indian Dad (TRID) – who heckles Melwani and makes fun of the song’s lyrics. The viral video now has more than 2.8 million views.
Melwani, who was born in Canada and is in her 30s, began singing at the age of four and playing the piano when she was eight. As a child, she sang in choirs, took private lessons and performed in bands. She graduated with a music degree from McGill University in her hometown of Montreal.
“When I was newly married and living in Tokyo [in Japan], being so far away from friends and family, I started my online musical journey by posting originals and covers to the various social media platforms,” she says of her online debut in 2007 and 2008.
