Marking his first cohesive music piece in seven years, Sound of Soil is veteran Punjabi artiste Gurdas Maan’s 46th album. Maan brings a gamut of sounds together in this nine-track offering, touching upon subjects ranging from the meaning of life, the essence of time, and desire.

“The album has nine songs, like the navratna. A favourite on this list is a traditional Qawwali number that I first heard 40 years ago, and continued to play on several stages over the years. I wanted the young generation to have the opportunity to enjoy this song that has been dear to me,” says Maan, who was keen to present an album after having released a spate of singles in the past few years.

Having trained his attention to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Punjab, the artiste, 67, continues to perform to packed audiences across the globe. But a discussion on the manner in which younger Punjabi artistes have commercialized the genre appears to evoke more joy than criticism. 

Acknowledging that the genre has broken cultural barriers, Maan credits artistes like Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla, Ammy Virk, and Gippy Grewal for “adding their own flavour to Punjabi music” and appeasing a wider audience. “Several artistes in the UK and USA have also promoted the genre and created music that people can dance to. This is a wonderful thing.”

On his part, however, he turned down offers when his “conscience didn’t allow” him to pursue them. “During my time, songs that had double meanings were promoted. I was also offered record deals if I agreed to create them. However, I did not want Punjabi music to be stereotyped. I didn’t want people to say, ‘Punjabi gaane aise hi hote hain.’ I want people to remember that artistes like Baba Bulleh Shah, Amrita Pritam, and Shiv Kumar Batalvi also [wrote Punjabi poetry] that did not have dual meaning. Sure, several rappers write about addiction, and young [music listeners] are getting what they want from them. But I want to encourage young artistes to write with intention, and create [poetry] that warms people’s hearts, and educates and motivates our children. We want to be proud of the songs that our artistes create.”

Citing that mental health illnesses like depression are prevalent among children, he points to an incident that reiterated his faith in his music.

“I was told of a young man who was living in Australia, and was prepared to leave [the country] due to poor circumstances. Someone introduced him to my music, and he decided to rebuild his life after hearing it. He worked from the ground up to become the sous chef [of a restaurant]. When I met him four years later, he cried and told me the effect that my music had on him. Today, unfortunately, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims are all talking about breaking [relationships]. No one is talking about bringing people together. The young generation needs to work with the mission of creating an impact and spreading [positive] messages. Money cannot be the only intention behind creating music. You need to have passion for your country and [the desire] to serve it.”

Yo Yo Honey Singh’s music videos speak of his flamboyant lifestyle, wealth, and travel escapades. His off-screen persona appears to be an extension of this avatar, with his ambition being fiercely reflected in the words he chooses.

A subject that makes an appearance only in his interviews, however, is his new-found faith in divinity. “Bholenath saved my life,” he says while describing his laudable battle with mental illnesses and his return to the industry. As he encourages people to have “faith in God”, he describes what motivates him as a musician. “I will not do what others are doing,” he says, matter-of-factly, going on to discuss the making of Glory, his 18-track album that features a host of collaborators. Edited excerpts of the interview:

Last year I decided to produce the album and create the music. I conducted a lot of research to understand the kind of music that is [popular today], and did not make music that’s already in the market. I’ve always wanted to be the person who is the first to produce music that [eventually becomes] popular in the market. I [wanted it to be] a revolution, just like my decade-old songs, from which I still earn revenue, are.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American music. I was also consuming African music, but [this genre] has been popular in India since three years. So, I decided against making any Afro songs in this album.

One of them is Talvinder, who I’ve been talking to since three years. We collaborated on the song, High On Me, and he rendered it amazingly. Then, I found two Delhi-based boys on Instagram, and they did a musical version of Badopati. The song was a parody by a Pakistani artiste, but these boys made it soothing and musical. If I find an artiste I like, I text them directly instead of approaching my management. There’s another girl from Delhi who I worked with too. All the collaborators were hand-picked. Paradox is a crazy guy, and I wanted to do something crazy [with him]. 

When I make music, I first make a beat, then drop some ideas, and then believe in almighty Bholenath and go with the flow. It’s been 21 years since I have been making music but I still believe that there’s no fixed formula to making a song. 

Today, the industry is making streaming stars, but not superstars. In the past decade, only A P Dhillon, Karan Aujla, and Guru Randhawa have managed to become superstars. I wouldn’t count Diljit [Dosanjh] here because he was already [far ahead] in the game; he was already a legend. I’ve known him since several years and we’ve also worked together. So, while three have become superstars, 50 boys and girls have unfortunately, only [managed to] become streaming stars. That’s a problem. 

It was a blessing [that I had] the support of my parents and sister. I was an atheist. But, during my sickness, I found Bholenath, and he gave me a second chance. I believe, whatever is happening in my life today is his doing. I would say, follow your God. Prayers are everything, and [gratitude] is important. 

If they start talking about it, what will their parents do? They may take them to doctors, but, [unfortunately], India doesn’t have good doctors for mental health issues. I’ve seen it. They f***ed my case for six years. They were big names in the field of psychiatric medicines. But they ruined [me]. Finally, I found one doctor in 2021 who could cure me. I am still on medication. But, in the last three years, I have had no symptoms. I am working constantly, and have returned to travelling, touring, and shooting. So, even if the young generation speaks about it, [they have limited means to get help]. I think, the Indian government should work towards getting [better] doctors for mental illnesses. 

Considering the amount of talent I have, and the work I put in, I have got only 20 per cent [of the fame] that I deserve. I have to work hard for the remaining 80 per cent. I lost seven years of my life. At 41, I am struggling to come back into the scene again. My target is big, and what I have achieved is nothing.

This skin I have, people [will be proud of it]. All brown-skinned people, be it Hispanics, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, or Nepalis, will be proud [of me]. I will not get this success in two or five years. It will take 15 years for me to get there. But that will happen.

BOMBAY TIMES (August 2, 2019)

Guru Randhawa became the latest victim of attacks on Punjabi singers while he was on a tour to Canada. On July 28, Guru, who was performing in Vancouver was attacked by a Punjabi man from the audience who insisted getting on stage while Guru was performing. On Monday, Guru returned to India from his US/Canada tour and his managers posted the clarification of the incident as, “Guru is back in India with four stitches on his right eyebrow and mega successful USA/Canada tour. The incident happened on July 28 in Vancouver when Guru told one Punjabi man not to come on stage while he was performing for the audience.”

While this was a case of a hurt fan who was refused proximity to the singer, Punjabi singers have been in the centre of controversy for some time now since Parmish Verma (right) was shot at by gangster, Dilpreet Dahan in Mohali last year. Following this incident was a set of extortion calls to singers including Gippy Grewal and singer, politician Balkar Sidhu.

In February this year, a bloody fight erupted during the concert of Elly Mangat and Sidhu Moosewala (left), in Surrey, Canada. Though there was no verification about the reason behind the scuffle, some attributed it to personal rift between local artists in an inebriated state.
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CONCERTS AND FOREIGN TOURS BECOME BREEDING GROUND FOR ATTACKS ON SINGERS

Earlier in June, there was news of singer Karan Aujla also being attacked in Surrey, Canada. It was claimed that notorious Punjabi gangster, Sukhpreet Budda was behind the attack. However, that claim was not verified by the Punjab police as stated by Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, IG, Punjab Police Organised Crime Control Unit, who said, “We are verifying both the posts and the location from where they have been made. They don’t seem from anywhere in India.”

When Gippy Grewal approached the Mohali police against the extortion calls last year, a case was registered against, “Dilpreet Dhahan after Gippy informed us that he received an extortion call from him," said Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal.