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LIFESTYLE COLUMN: JAY SEAN AT NASDAQ

Indian Top 40 Pop Singer Rings Closing Bell

By: Parimal M. Rohit

January 5, 2011

The news item itself is rather simple. Most people probably did not even know it happened, let alone care enough for such an event usually only relevant to economics geeks or financial journalists. Jay Sean--the Top 40 pop star who performed hit songs such as “Down,” “Do You Remember,” and “2012 (It Ain't The End),” and topped charts in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia--rang the first closing bell of 2011 for NASDAQ. The news may have been simple, and odds are not too many people cared. Yet the reality is we all should have painstakingly made an effort to care about what Jay Sean did earlier this week, all for the sake of simplicity and not caring.

Officially bringing an end to the first trading day of the year at 4:00 p.m. (New York time) at the NASDAQ headquarters on January 3rd, Jay Sean was not at all the first celebrity to perform such honors. Others to share the honor include Wycleaf Jean, Lance Bass, Kevin Bacon, Jordin Sparks, Wayne Gretzky, Roger Federer, Dan Marino, Ludacris, Liza Minelli, Jon Bon Jovi, Elizabeth Hurley, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Interestingly enough, Jay Sean has joined an elite and selective crew of Indian entertainers to grace the technology-heavy trading floor on the New York Stock Exchange. Previous entertainers of South Asian descent to ring NASDAQ’s bell included Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan. Oh, just for good measure, Ambassador Prabhu Dayal--the consul general of India in New York--also presided over a NASDAQ closing bell last year.

The first person to officially close the first trading day on the New York Stock Exchange also saw his name in lights just outside NASDAQ’s headquarters, like all others who appeared before him, and like all others who will follow in his footsteps.

Jay Sean’s appearance at NASDAQ is a sign of the times, what with people hailing from the Indian subcontinent suddenly catching “cool and hip” status faster than teenage girls filling movie halls for the next Twilight screening. While the day has yet to come where NASDAQ has seen and Indian-American entertainer oversee its opening or closing bell ceremonies (ahem, perhaps Kal Penn or Aziz Ansari one of these days?), the fact that we have seen several notable people of Indian descent make their way to one of the grandest, most ceremonial events in American finance is actually quite the accomplishment.

Even more, it is an accomplishment Jay Sean deserves, especially considering how his musical talents have probably had some sort of an impact (probably for the better) on the American economy, with his strong record sales and what have you. By way of example, in 2009, Jay Sean’s hit single “Down” topped the Billboard Hot 100--quite the accomplishment on two fronts. It was the first time ever for a solo artist of Indian/South Asian descent to top the list, not to mention the first U.K. act to achieve the same.

Throughout the rest of 2009 and into 2010, Jay Sean continued on his chart-bursting tirade, with his American debut album All or Nothing opening at the 37th slot on the US Billboard 200. With his second released single, “Do You Remember,” also reaching the Top 10 of the Hot 100, Jay Sean was the first artist in more than six years to have his first two U.S. singles simultaneously appear on Billboard’s prestigious list.

With his fourth album, Freeze Time, anticipated to drop in Spring 2011, the timing of Jay Sean’s appearance on the New York Stock Exchange appears to be timely. By being the first person to close trading on Wall Street in 2011, Jay Sean certainly hopes for good fortunes across the board after trying times for many in 2009 and 2010.

Personal accomplishments and hopes of a better 2011 for all aside, here is why Jay Sean’s appearance at NASDAQ is worthy of caring about: because it means we are closer to the day where we really no longer care, and that is a good thing. In reading the list of other celebrities also presiding over NASDAQ’s opening or closing bell above, how many of us clamored over the ethnicity(ies) of each of those individuals?

How many Austrians wet their pants when Gov. Schwarzenegger made his way to Wall Street? Were Canadians gaga over Wayne Gretzky skating into NASDAQ’s headquarters? Oh, I am sure Italians were dancing in pasta and wine when they caught wind of Dan Marino plotting touchdown passes into Manhattan’s high-rises from the stock exchange’s perched tower. And all the while, the Swiss broke out rarified cheese to honor Roger Federer’s ding-donging shenanigans.

Such is the point. The greatness of the United States of America is that, while we strive to appreciate and respect all walks of life (albeit only theoretically on some occasions), we tend to not really care about one’s ethnic background when it has no bearing on someone’s actions or accomplishments. Certainly and most positvely, the fact that Jay Sean has Indian heritage played no role in him presiding over NASDAQ’s closing bell earlier this week.

In doing a simple Google search on the issue, the coverage of Jay Sean’s NASDAQ visit is (thankfully) fairly neutral. Most of the web coverage of the event is not out of the ordinary, with mostly music-, finance-, and Asian-themed outlets, publications, and blogs reporting. Very little attention is paid to the fact that Jay Sean is of Indian descent.

While Indians and South Asians should indeed be proud of what Jay Sean has accomplished--including his appearance at NASDAQ--and certainly many Indian and South Asian outlets or blogs will make (or already have made) mention of this small news event, one thing appears very promising: the days of clamoring about Indians or South Asians within the United States permeating into segments of life outside of socially defined stereotypes appears to be dissipating.

Perhaps we have inched a bit closer to the days of judging people for something more than a figment of their ethnic background (and the associated stereotypes that go with it). And if that day is as close as I am inferring, that most certainly means I should not stir the pot by writing almost-pointless columns such as this one.