Recently, Samiya from London had the pleasure of interviewing one of the best stars from the desi music scene, none other than the one and only 'Jassi Sidhu.' She has done the question so I hope you like them! He is the former lead singer of B21 and sang all of their hit tunes over the years.
Samiya: There is no doubt that you sing tremendously well, at what age did you realise that you had such an incredible natural talent? What age did you get recognised and how did it all start?
Jassi Sidhu: Incredible talent? Well anyway I suppose I realised I could kind of sing at about 14 and from there I formed a school band like all wannabe singers. I started to get recognised when I would sing at family parties, a lot of the big bands knew me and really encouraged me. When I was 17 I just thought right Im going to release an album, so I got a part-time job and saved up to record the first album, and the rest is history.
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Samiya: Did you have an alternative plan in life, if your music career did take off?
Jassi Sidhu: Yeh my parents never really thought I would make it so they made sure I got an education. I studied law and got my degree a few years back so if my new album flops I'll have to become a solicitor.
Samiya: What or who gave you your big break? I mean how did you, Bally & Bhota come together and become B21?
Jassi Sidhu: I was going to record an album anyway and the Jagpals were family friends. I bumped into Bally one day and we got talking and he said he'd like to do music as well so we started the sounds of B21, Bhota got involved later. It was Moviebox who really gave us our break, at a time when no one else wanted to give us a chance. But one way or another I was going to release an album. |
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Samiya: Is there a specific message that you try to get across to your listeners through your lyrics?
Jassi Sidhu: I mean do you write your own lyrics? My lyrics are always simple, as my Punjabi amazingly enough is quite bad! I always sit with a writer and try to give my input on a song, or change it to fit my style, but I always make sure the chorus' is very simple. I only ever wrote on my first album and that was because I couldn't afford to go to a professional. Writing is the most difficult part of an album so I leave it to the professionals.
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Samiya: I would put you in the same category as the great singers like Malkit Singh, Kuldeep Manak, and Surinder Shinda. Would you say any of them were any inspiration to you?
Jassi Sidhu: Wow to be even mentioned in the same sentence as those guys is a compliment. I don't see myself as a real singer; I just do enough to get buy. There are such great singers around such as Shin and Malkit that have inspired me since I was a kid. I grew up watching them and to stand on the same stage as them is really a dream come true. Deep down Im still just a really big fan and singing is just a hobby. I'm nowhere near the stature of the singers mentioned.
Samiya: What is the highlight of your career so far? |
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I mean what is the moment that has made you the most proud to be doing what you are doing?
Jassi Sidhu: There are so many highlights it's hard to pick one specific one out. Releasing my first album, touring the world, meeting all my idols there are just so many, but I think something that stands out for me is when you travel abroad and people know your songs and even think they know you, honestly it's a great feeling getting through to so many people around the world, with your music. |
Samiya: Did you have any say in how the video for 'Jawani' was going to be done? Were you pleased with the outcome? Personally, I thought it was really good as is was different from the usual desi video which these days consists of girls dancing in a club or guys chillin with their fast cars. I mean do you think we need to move away from this now typical and in my opinion very boring style of videos?
Jassi Sidhu: I didn't really have much say in the video. As I was a new artist in India the company choose how things are done. I just basically turned up. The only thing I got to choose was my clothing; they wanted me to wear this brown tracksuit! Just the thought of it makes me cringe. I do agree that a lot of the videos are boring, but within the Asian scene the budgets are very tight and it is far cheaper to shoot a video in club then it is to go out and find a location.
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Samiya: Your B21 career has been a roller coaster ride in itself, and we are not here to talk about the negatives so tell us how it felt like to be the lead singer of such an amazing band?
Jassi Sidhu: Being in B21 was the most amazing experience you can imagine; we travelled the world and treated like real celebrities wherever we went. None of us ever imagined how big we would become, But all good things come to and end and the |
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| break-up was inevitable. In my eyes B21 was my band and we had always decided that if one of us ever left, the band would be dissolved, now however the Jagpals are just cashing in on the name, which is a shame because it was such a special time. I sang every B21 song and they all meant something. Now when I hear their computerised vocals destroying these classic songs, it's just a sham. |
Samiya: You have your debut solo album coming out in January called 'Reality Check'. Who are the main influences on there and who is featuring on it? What sort of response are you hoping for or expect to your debut album from, the public at large? Also, what is the reasoning behind the album title?
Jassi Sidhu: Where do I start? Well Reality Check is a 10-track album, which I have produced over the last year. When I was in B21 we all used to help out in the production, so this album is a continuation from that sound. There is a special Rishi Rich remix on there but apart from that I've tried to do it all on my own. I've got a point to prove to certain individuals so hopefully the fans will give me the same support that I got whilst in B21. The name Reality Check relates to a lot of people out their who have lost track of reality and forgotten where they came from. Sometimes you need to step back and look around you.
Samiya: Do you have a final message for the thousands of desitunes4u.com visitors all over the world?
Jassi Sidhu: I'd just like to thank all of them for supporting me over the last seven years. Hopefully they'll enjoy the new album Reality Check which will be in your shops in January on the Moviebox label. I would ask that all real fans of bhangra music buy not just this album but all albums as opposed to downloading them, a problem, which is killing the industry at present. I'll be back on the gig scene in January to promote the album. You can hear it soon on www.jassisidhu.com. Until then I wish all the visitors a happy New Year peace.
That concludes the interview, firstly a big thanks to Jassi for taking some time out to do the interview. The album is due out in January so make sure you buy a copy as it promises to be one of the best albums released for a long time. If you wish to contact Jassi yourself then you can e-mail him direct at jassi@jassisidhu.com now, plus don't forget to check out his site for all the latest news, like he said keep checking back on the site for samples of his new album.
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