On a roll...
Jasmine Singh
Long dishevelled hair, over-grown beard, a bike, a guitar, a dog and the snowy mountains, it’s a journey of self-discovery for Punjabi singer Harrdy Sandhu, which is effectively captured in his new single, Yaarr Ni Milyaa, released by White Hill Music.
The song has already fetched more than 10 million views in just 2-3 days of its release. For Harrdy, the numbers are gratifying but it is the experience of creating this song with his old team of Jaani, B Praak and Arvindr Khaira, which was much more enjoyable.
“This track is an experiment of its kind. I don’t know which genre to put it into, you might call it a soft, romantic, sad and self-discovery track,” he smiles knowing that he has created an all-new genre for his track.
“I like to experiment, and music is all about searching for new sounds, new places that can inspire. With Yaarr Ni Milyaa, I have tried to do the same.”
Harrdy rose to fame with his romantic number Soch, which was later used in the Bollywood film, Airlift. So, is this where his strength lies, in soft romantic songs? “As I said, I like to sing all kinds of songs, be it Soch or peppy number like Horn Blow, the idea is to enjoy what you do.” This, of course, is evident from his previous hit tracks! Like other Punjabi singers, who want to extend their creativity to the lanes of Bollywood, Harrdy too harbours the same dream, but he is ready to wait and watch for good projects to come his way. “My style and voice have been trained on the lines of Bollywood singing, so it wouldn’t be difficult to sing for Bollywood films.”
And what about being a ‘yes man’ for the music directors of this big industry? “If I have to sing a situational song for a Hindi film, then I wouldn’t have much say in it. But if it is a Hindi song then of course, I am free to give my creative inputs.”
A former Ranji Trophy cricket player, Harrdy is never far away from the pitch, whenever he has time that is. His fans, however, adore him for his style, for which he doesn’t make any conscious effort.
“I am not fussy about brands, I wear clothes with an attitude,” adds Harrdy, who gets thumbs-up for all his styles on his FB account.
Well, this brings us to an important reality, social networking sites and the dependence of artistes on it. “Social media is an important tool for all artistes, but at the same time, I do not believe in the number game. It is the weight of the song, its treatment that decides it popularity and life and not hits.”
So what’s his next journey? A new track or a film? The mention of films brings a smile. “Not all decisions that we make are good, it’s about learning from them, which I think I have,” he adjusts his cool sun glasses.
jasmine@tribunemail.com
