KUALA LUMPUR: He used to be known as Reshmonu, and his trademark was his dreadlocked hair which he described as a work of art and trade secret.
Today, Hiresh Haridas, the multi-talented, multiple award-winning R&B singer from Petaling Jaya, has rebranded himself as Resh, and adopted a totally new image with ‘high hair’ a la Boyz II Men, Az Yet and his childhood sci-fi heroes the Ghostbusters.
“I was once Reshmonu to fans, and now I’m just Resh, but either way, I love making music that’s relevant, new and fresh,” he said in a recent interview.
Resh said his decision to drop “monu” from his name was a “coming-of-age” process.
“The term ‘monu’ means ‘little boy’ in my mother tongue Malayalam, and that was my pet name as a kid.
“Times have changed, I’ve grown up, and become a ‘proud papa’ of three children, and thus, I’ve decided to ‘graduate’ into just Resh.”
Resh arrived in the entertainment scene with a bang back in 2003 when he released his debut album Monumental. The album took critics and fans by storm with its hit singles Walk Away and It’s You That Matters.
It earned him a whopping seven nominations at the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) 2004 and he bagged three awards - Best Male Vocals, Best English Language Artiste and Best Engineering For An Album.
Taking his passion for music a notch higher, Resh sat on the director’s chair for his music video for The Way It Makes You Move, earning him a nomination for Best Music Video in AIM 2008.
The following year, he won Best Engineered Bahasa Malaysia Album at AIM 2009 for Harapan.
Citing Marvin Gaye, Harry Belafonte, Bob Marley, Brian McKnight and Luther Vandross as his major influences, Resh is now collaborating with popular American rapper Timbaland’s protege Jim Beanz of Sunset Entertainment Group.
Beanz is an acclaimed producer who has made a name for himself working with international artistes such as Katy Perry, Britney Spears, P Diddy, Shakira, Ciara, Nelly Furtado and Jamie Foxx.
Resh, 39, describes Beanz as a hitmaker in his own right, moulding international stars of the future.
“I’d describe Jim as a five-star threat - producer, vocal producer, songwriter, singer and musician with a track record for delivering international smash hits,” he said.
Resh is currently promoting a moving yet catchy new single from his coming album which will be launched by year end.
Entitled Half A Man, it comes with a stylish music video which was filmed in Seoul, South Korea last April.
“Half A Man is a poignant story about coping with loss. However it is also inspiring as it talks about the need to be brave and strong in the face of hardship and do his or her best to navigate ‘stormy’ situations and emerge a more resilient person,” he said.
Resh’s new album has seven tracks all produced by Beanz.
He is confident that fans will embrace his new look and image.
“I just want to tell my fans around the region that I am still me, and the only thing about me that is different is my hair. I used to have dreadlocks, but they were a page from my childhood which I’ve decided to put behind, because times are changing.”
Catch Resh on Aug 22 as he performs at the Lake Garden Festival.