Singer Arsh Braich says that the Punjabis have an aura that the rest of world cannot match

Gurnaaz Kaur

Ludhiana-boy Arsh Braich, who loves singing and writing songs, finds inspiration in his father, who was a dhadi singer. After his videos and songs went viral on social media, Arsh started making his own fun versions of popular songs. His original song Doraemon has received an overwhelming response and now he is ready with a romantic song.

• Do you face a lot of competition in your profession?

Exposure and shows are the two biggest things artistes are competing for these days. I will not mention a record deal because honestly that is becoming a thing of the past. Today, it is far too easy to obtain all the resources one would need to build an actual, lucrative, legit music career without a deal. It’s really important to secure your audience before any show or releasing any song, and for that, self-marketing is a key point.

• What kind of challenges did you face during your early days?

The moment you are able to raise the bar to a point where your work starts influencing people, you start getting noticed as an artiste. The biggest challenge was to overcome the initial failures. I was well aware of the scenario that if I took my projects to the music labels, they would not even bother to look at my work. No company easily invests in a new artiste. So, I tried using short movies platform (Tik Tok) to give a push to my singing career. I started posting covers and got a tremendous result.

• A lot of Punjabi singers in the recent years have taken up acting as a profession. If given a choice, would you like to act too?

My current focus is solely on music but I would definitely grab such an opportunity with both hands if the script is good. The reason being, the career of a singer is pretty short because of the prevailing competition.

• You recently released your song Doraemon. What have you achieved?

Basically, it all started from Tik Tok. I posted a clip of Doraemon on it and got a really good response. There were more than 65K videos created on my sound, which prompted me to release the full song. It was a great start, the result was beyond my expectations. I gained confidence to come out with more such originals.

• How has Covid-19 changed things for you?

I am a full-time IT professional, so, I was lucky enough to work from home during the lockdown. This pandemic was all around the world, be it’s social media or news channel, that negativity was getting into my head, which forced me to divert my mind. I started analyzing myself due to which I was able to explore my hidden talents and roasting songs is one of them. I started focusing more on social media. I was consistently posting on TikTok. This not only helped me but also my audience.

• From whom did you learn music?

It all started in my childhood. My father was a devotional singer. I used to listen to him while he rehearsed at home. I always tried to copy him and eventually I realised that I had it in me to become a singer. Today, Satinder Sartaaj is someone who has been a great source of influence and inspiration.

• What’s next on your work chart?

I’m coming up with a song titled Copyright this month, which will be released on Nupur Audio’s YouTube channel. Apart from that, I’m working on a lot of interesting projects, just stay tuned!

• Which is your favourite Punjabi song?

The song Udaarian by Satinder Sartaaj

• One thing about the Punjabis that you like the most?

The Punjabis have an aura that the rest of world simply cannot match. It is because they’re such amazing people. Punjabis know the art of living and loving, and if you happen to know even one of them, you’d know what khul ke jeena actually means.

• Prominent places in Punjab you would recommend your fans to visit?

Well, most of my fan-base or appreciators of my works are based in Punjab, so they know the places quite well. But for many who live outside of Punjab, I would say they must visit Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, which showcases the sacrifice of the Punjabis during Independence.

• Name two Punjabi dishes you like the most.

Just like every Punjabi, I’m also a sarson da saag and makki di roti lover. Secondly, I love to have anything that has paneer in it.

• What is your fitness mantra?

Eat well and sleep well. That’s my fitness mantra. I also make a conscious effort to keep some hours away from technology, especially phones.

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