On a Friday afternoon, on the way to work, I got a text that Nirob Islam, a Sweden-based, Bangladeshi songwriter, would be taking a 'Songwriting Masterclass' at our The Daily Star premises.

While many in Bangladesh might not have heard his name, they have surely heard one of the many songs he has written for some of the world's biggest artists such as The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Icona Pop, John Newman and so on.

Nirob Islam, formerly known as SHY Nodi, is an acclaimed songwriter who has generated over 1 billion streams for artists all over the world.

In a conversation with Nirob Islam, I was able to discover the magical journey the young artiste has been through. In the process, I got to know about the man behind songs such as "All we know" by The Chainsmokers, "Midnight" by Alesso, and "Old School Love" by NEIKED ft Nirob Islam.

How did your journey in music begin?

Looking back, it all began when, in the third grade, my mother put me into a Bangla music class. It sparked an interest in me. When I finished high school, I wanted to take the year off and make music. But my parents sent me to university to study biomedicine. I studied there for a year, but felt as if I had hit a wall.

One night, I read "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho—a book that my sister gave me. That night, I dreamt as if I was in my deathbed. My last thought while I was dying was "Man, I regret that I didn't take a chance on music in my life". I woke up the next day in a cold sweat and dropped out of university. My parents were in Bangladesh at that time, and when I finally got around to telling them, they were super angry at me.

I asked them to give me a half a year to make music, after that, if it didn't work out, I'd go back and finish my education. In that time, I worked produced music with a friend who had a studio. One day, he told me about a music school he was applying to, and that I should try and join him. They only took 30 people a year, but I knew that even if I got in, my parents would never let me go. But I still tried just to see how far I could go.

I made five songs and applied to the school, and they called me for the next step of the application. Without telling my parents, I packed my bags and left. On the way, I called and told them what was happening. I told them my plans, and that I just wanted to see if I could make it. Finally, they agreed to let me try this out.

That's how it all began.

How did the song for The Chainsmokers happen?

So, the year before was 2016. We already had a popular song called "The Ocean" with Mike Perry. However, the manager of the artist tried to exploit me and my song-writing partner, SHY Martin. After being frustrated with the experience of working with middlemen, my partner and I decided to start sending our songs straight to the artists. We knew that the songs we were writing were good.

At that time, we had a demo that sounded perfect for The Chainsmokers, so we Googled the band for 20 minutes and finally found their email. We wrote a formal, straight to the point email, attached our song and sent it in. After four hours, we got a reply from their manager saying he would check it out. 20 more minutes on, we got a reply from him that read, "Don't send this to anyone" in all caps!

In that moment, I cried. The moment he replied saying that he wanted our song, it proved to me that we could achieve anything. All we needed to do was reach out. You have stop being afraid, and just reach out and grab the moment.

The music video for your latest single, "Westside" is shot in your dad's hometown. What did it mean for you to be able to shoot the video there?

Even though I wasn't born here, I've been to Bangladesh every two years since I was three years old. Since I wasn't born here, nor did I grow up here, I see things in a different way. I see the beauty of Bangladesh in a different way.

I've grown up with both cultures, and I want to show people the beauty of Bangladesh. That's one of my biggest goals. When you look at the Billboard Hot 100, how many people look like us? There are a few, but more people from Bangladesh should be on there. That's why I'm here today, taking this masterclass hosted by Qinetic Music. I want to lift Bangladesh up and showcase our culture. That's why I made the music video here.

Hopefully, I can help elevate local producers and musicians.

Nirob Islam at his songwriting masterclass at The Daily Star.

I read in an interview that you said "Westside" was inspired by the struggles, success and the overall journey that you've had with your writing partner over the years. Could you elaborate on this?

It's been a difficult journey to where we are now. See, as soon as money comes into the picture, people start going crazy. Me and SHY Martin got into a lawsuit with our old music label. They were actually some of our closest friends, and they kind of stabbed us in the back. It took almost two years to resolve this, but now we're back to making music.

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What's next for Nirob Islam?

Starting from December, I'm going to start releasing singles, and I'll eventually work towards an EP or an album.

The thing about dreams is, when you achieve one dream, another one appears. My initial dream was to make music. Now that this is my bread and butter, I want even more. While I'm thankful, I am also greedy. So, I want to make a number one song on Billboard.

I want to collaborate with artists like Drake and Post Malone. See, dreams expand, and I think that's what drives you forward, right?