Today we’d like to introduce you to Shamal Tashkilot.
Hi Shamal, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story is probably a little different from most music producers. Before music became such a big part of my life, sport was my world. I was a wrestler on the Danish national team, became a four-time Danish champion, and later competed professionally in MMA. For many years, everything revolved around training, competition and pushing myself to improve.
Music eventually became another place where I could put that same energy and mindset. I started producing because I was fascinated by how a song could be built from nothing – a melody, a bassline or just a small idea – and slowly turn into something that could make people feel something.
In the beginning, I was learning everything myself and spending countless hours experimenting, making mistakes and trying to understand what made the records I loved work. Over time, producing went from being something I enjoyed doing to something I wanted to take seriously.
Today I produce and release music as NAVAH, mainly within dance-pop and house. I’ve had the opportunity to work with talented singers and songwriters from different countries, release music through labels, and have my music reach listeners outside Denmark. I’m constantly working on new records, sending music to labels and A&Rs, collaborating with artists, and trying to become a better producer with every track.
I still feel like I’m building my story. I haven’t reached the point where I want to be yet, and that is probably what keeps me motivated. The competitive side of me never really disappeared – I just moved it from the wrestling mat and the cage into the studio.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been trying to build a career in music while still having a normal working life outside of it. Music takes a lot of time, and there have been many late nights and weekends spent in the studio after work.
Another challenge is dealing with rejection. You can spend weeks or months on a record, feel really confident about it, send it to labels or A&Rs, and sometimes get a no – or no answer at all. In the beginning, that could be frustrating, especially when you have put so much of yourself into the music.
Over time, I’ve learned not to take every rejection personally. Sometimes a song simply isn’t right for a particular label or artist. I try to take useful feedback from it, go back into the studio and make the next record better.
I’ve also had to learn almost everything about production through doing it – mixing, arranging, working with vocalists, understanding what leaves enough space for a vocal, and knowing when a track is actually finished. I’m still learning all the time.
My background in competitive sport has probably helped me a lot with that. Wrestling and MMA taught me that progress isn’t always visible from day to day. You can lose, make mistakes and have bad periods, but you keep showing up. I’ve taken the same mentality into music. I’m not afraid of hearing “no”. I just don’t want to stop improving until more of those no’s become yeses.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a music producer and artist working under the name NAVAH. I mainly make dance-pop and house, and I love combining strong melodies, catchy vocals and electronic production.
Collaboration is a big part of what I do. I work with singers and songwriters from different countries. Sometimes I’ll send them an instrumental I’ve made, and other times I’ll build the production around a vocal or topline. That’s one of my favorite parts of making music because another person can hear something completely different in an idea than I do.
I’m very detail-oriented when I produce. I can probably spend way too long changing small things that most people would never notice, but I also know that a technically perfect record means nothing if the song itself doesn’t make you feel something. The melody, vocal and overall feeling always come first for me.
What I’m most proud of is how far the music has travelled from a small studio in Aalborg. I’ve released music through labels, worked with talented singers and songwriters from different countries, and had people outside Denmark listen to something I created here. That still feels pretty crazy to me.
I don’t know if I’m the right person to say what sets me apart from everyone else, but I think people who know my music can hear a certain NAVAH sound developing. I like warm, melodic records that can work on a dancefloor but still feel like an actual song. I’m still developing that sound, and that’s probably the most exciting part for me right now.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you don’t have to feel completely ready before moving forward.
In music, it’s very easy to chase perfection. I can spend hours changing tiny details in a production, and at some point you have to ask yourself whether you’re actually making the song better or just making it different.
I’ve learned to trust my ears more, finish the record and let it go. Not every track is going to be perfect, and not every track has to be. Sometimes finishing something, learning from it and starting the next one teaches you more than spending another month trying to make one song perfect.
I think that’s probably the biggest lesson for me: keep creating, keep learning and don’t be afraid to move on.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/navah9000/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shamal.tashkilot
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamal-tashkilot-6687631a3/
- Twitter: https://x.com/NAVAH1991
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nava-395943448
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4lFtNhunh6kye9fQ4vdge0?si=Ymgzt6F2SrmV-nELchgldw
