I make songs for everyone: Guru Randhawa

Nonika Singh

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With, ‘nothing is impossible’ as his motto, singing sensation Guru Randhawa continues to chart new frontiers.  His latest track might be titled Slowly Slowly, but there is no disputing that he is in a superfast lane.

As he collaborates with American rapper Pitbull, he might quip matter of fact, “This is just another song.” However, make no mistake with his international foray he takes Punjabi music on to another level. No doubt, he stands a proud Punjabi, who takes immense pride in his culture and language and urges fellow Punjabis to do the same. Yet this achievement of his (prior to this Pitbull has collaborated with Priyanka Chopra), he views as a feather in the cap of the entire Indian music industry.

Common ground

How the song came about, again, he puts it simply, “It’s like in the journey of two musicians; they meet, find a common ground and do what they are best at.” More such collaborations are on the way. With whom and where, he will qualify only when it happens. So much is already happening in his life. 

If songs like High Rated Gabru elicit nearly 700 million hits, chartbusters such as Downtown and Made In India find their way on to Billboard music charts and then innumerable songs of his have been picked up 

by Bollywood.

Name & fame

Seriously, how does he handle name and fame, especially since it comes at such a young age? And Guru who tasted success at 21, today at 27, says, “When God gives you success, he also prepares you to absorb it. Besides, success means different things to different people.  For me, it is simply being able to make my next song.”   

In fact, creating a song is what gives him the greatest exhilaration. And guess what, though Guru only sings his own songs, he doesn’t write it on a paper or punch it on his computer keys. “Once I am inside the recording studio, I just have a bare outline of the song in my mind and words just flow thereafter.” 

Take on Bollywood 

For a singer who has given us songs detailing women’s sartorial choices, her attitude, chutzpah and more...does he observe the fair sex that keenly? He answers, “Both men and women are part of life. And when I write a song like Teinu Suit Suit Karda, I might be talking about my mother or my niece or even a love interest. Ban Ja Tu Meri Rani can be sung by an old man too. Frankly, I make songs for everyone.” 

Music for him is not a means to an end but a divine connect. “Only singers are blessed with this power.”

As his voice is powering many a Bollywood film, we wonder what does the film industry look like from inside? He says, “Bollywood is good. But then I am not part of the rat race and I am doing exactly the kind of work I like doing.”

No acting

The success or failure of films, his songs are a part of, however, doesn’t perturb him. As singer-actors are a norm in Punjabi industry, has he ever toyed with the idea of acting? The answer is a big no.  For one, he doesn’t care to follow trends. Secondly, since acting isn’t his core field, he wouldn’t like to flirt with the possibility of failing.

No, he isn’t afraid to fail. But he believes in playing to one’s strengths and that exactly is the advice he gives to aspiring singers.  Looking at his fan following you may believe, ‘nothing succeeds like success.’ But he tells you that patience, hard work and sticking to one’s genre hold the key. 

nonikasingh@tribunemail.com 
 

Listen, carefully

Guru Randhawa’s songs we bet are on your favourite playlist.  In case you want to know what is on his, well there is Hans Zimmer, Bruno Mars, Attaullah Khan and a battery of our Punjabi artistes’ work, which includes Gurdas Maan, Hans Raj Hans, Babbu Maan, Sardool Sikander... he listens to all of them.