A lyrical script

Jasmine Singh

He takes a while to open up, a while to talk about himself and a while to talk about his heartfelt passion. But there is one thing that Ohio, America-based music promoter Sobha Singh Dhillon doesn’t want to hold back. “I buy all the original tracks online, just about all the tracks, of all singers, all kinds of songs; Punjabi and Hindi, old and new,” he says.

Carrying the warmth of his village in his heart, Sobha takes us back to his hometown, Dhilwan, Kapurthala, Punjab. “I wanted to sing; as a kid I would hum songs off and on, but I never got any direction or guidance. And then at age 15, I moved to US with the passion to sing tucked in my heart.”

However, things didn’t turn out how Sobha had planned; he didn’t get the right chance to sing, which is when he thought that he could assist others who held the same dream. “My cousin in Punjab introduced me to Shubhkarman Bal — I really liked what he wrote. I decided to back him as a lyricist and singer and he too did us proud with his super-hit track Kabza.”

Sobha doesn’t rule out the presence of umpteen music promoters in the Punjabi entertainment industry, at the same time he is also aware of what makes him different. “I move with the artiste till the end. I give them total freedom to be creative and then launch them under my company Dhaan Productions LCC (US-based).” While promoting the artiste, Sobha Singh Dhillon takes into account all the factors, “The only thing I don’t give a thought to is risk; I work from my heart, in every potential artiste I actually see myself.”

The next question about acknowledging talent from remote villages of Punjab brings a wonderful answer, “Jine pind di zindagi nahi ji ohm, dilon likh nahi sakda. To write and to sing, you have to feel. To me the real singing and acting talent of Punjab is hidden somewhere in the remote villages. These are young boys and girls who do not have the means to even register for any talent show.”

So how does he scout talent in this scenario, “I keep my eyes and ears and yes, my Facebook, open. I often get requests from youngsters who wish to sing and write in Punjabi; I tell them how to go about,” he beams.

“In the upcoming year, it would be a Punjabi track. Since I am going to take lyrics written by Shubhkarman, expect something really thoughtful,” he signs off.

jasmine@tribunemail.com