Rockstar!

They call him a trendsetter for no reason… whether it is a new hair style that has popped up in the fashion circuit, a new kind of jazzy formal suit that has made a statement at a fashion runway, singer-actor Jazzy B is the first one in the Punjabi entertainment industry to grab it. And now, this all-jazzed up artiste has jumped many steps ahead, by being the first South Asian artist to get Starwalk British Columbia (BC) Entertainment Hall OF Fame.

In Chandigarh for a short trip, this self-styled artiste is definitely excited about this new development. “I got this award because I stuck to my maa boli Punjabi, I stuck to my culture. Had I not done this, I wouldn’t have been getting the award in the first place.”

Despite being a decade old in the Punjabi music industry, Jazzy B has never made himself a been-there-done-that case. He understands the pulse of the youth more than any other young Punjabi singer. “I do a lot research work before cutting any track, and I am glad to have people like Dinesh, to support me in this,” says Jazzy, who goes by the trend, and sees no harm in it. But this hasn’t erased the word ‘risk’ from his dictionary yet. “I take a lot of risk each time I venture out to do something new. I am never too sure about the song, it might or might not work. The idea, however, is to keep doing something different, something that my fans will like,” shares the singer who is known to set fashion trends in the industry. To Jazzy social networking is the best way to understand what people want. “I am often flooded with tweets and FB requests from my fans asking me to sing in a certain way, and I willingly do it.” For this artiste, following trends was never an option. “The word is making, not following,” he smiles with his golden tooth shinning even brighter.

— Jasmine Singh