Recently, Amen caught up with Signia who are the latest talent to hail from North America. They are from Vancouver, Canada to be precise and are making a lot of noise with their debut album 'Yours For The Taking.'

The comments of each of them have been colour co-ordinated to help you distinguish who is saying what. The following key can be used as a guide to help you with this as well.

Amen: How did you guys get into singing and who inspired you?

LV: Singing has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I loved to sing at parties the songs that I watched in all the Hindi films and I was inspired by Amitabh Bachan He's was my hero.... he also is a good singer.

San-J: I have been singing for as far back as I can remember too, I used to listen to a lot of eighties music when I was young and sing along to the radio, even if I didn't know the words I would make them up, and still do. I was in choir in elementary school and joined again in high school, I don't feel signing is something that you just get into but rather something that some people just do and others just don't, whether or not one is good at it is a totally different story.

Amen: When you guys are not recording hits in the studio, what are you doing in your spare time?

LV: I play soccer, hang out with friends and like to play lots of golf.

San-J: I try to keep in shape by going to the gym but sometimes the McDonald's wins that battle, otherwise I play a lot of basketball and in the winter I snowboard. I am always messing around with beats and melodies 'cause I can't stay away from the studio; that is where I feel the most at home.

San-J	Amen: Are there any producers with whom you would really like to work with? San-J: I think I can speak for the both of us and say that out of the Indian producers RDB is really cutting edge and Ravi Bal has done some really cool stuff, especially with Midas Touch 2 and Fojee, and Sukshinder Shinda is always cutting tracks that make people move and we are all about that. But in the western world we totally would love to do some really different stuff with The Neptunes, Missy Elliot, Dr. Dre, Darkchild or even P Diddy. Off course can't forget about the ultimate in crossover Rishi Rich and our boy Nick Chowlia who co-produced with me on our album and did the "hot curry" Agony remix for Sumeet.
LV: I think san-J really summed it up there, we are totally into working with anyone and everyone, we think that a wide variety of sound is the best way to express the diversity which we come from. And that attitude also keeps the music fresh and ever evolving, allowing bhangra to really grow.

Amen: How do you feel about the sudden surge of bhangra into the mainstream?

LV: Honored and proud, our music has a very unique style and sound especially with the Indian percussion like the dhol, and tabla. This new trend is amazing and we all know that us Indians love to party and dance so sharing the music that makes us feel so euphoric with others is a great, and what is better is the acceptance of our music by the mainstream population. For years we have been battling racism and by the rest the world now embracing such a huge part of our culture takes us one step closer to a happier world.

San-J: I totally agree, I think it was something that was destined to happen, bhangra is awesome and I new it couldn't be too long before the rest of the world realized it too!

Amen: It has been said by many that there are a lot of desi music artists in North America that are nothing more than average, what makes you any better than the norm?

San-J: In all honesty, I wonder who these people are that say these things, because I am sure that these people are very "out of the loop". If I were to name some North American artists I could mention, Jazzy B, Manmohan Warris, Kamal Heer, Sarbjeet Cheema, Harbhajan Mann, K.S. Makhan, Josh, Mantra, and Harvinder Singh. So if this is the norm than I have no problem saying that I am no better than the norm because the standard is already excellence. What I can say is that none of these great artists are us, Signia is what makes us stand out from the rest.

LV: I think what San-J is trying to say is that being classified in a category containing such great talent is a little overwhelming, but Signia has a unique sound and style that separates us from the rest and gives us our unique characteristic, and once people hear the album or see our energy live on stage they will know that we are something different, maybe not better than Jazzy or Harbhajan but definitely different and refreshing and definitely deserving to be considered in the same category, with all due respect that is. Amen: What do you think of the Asian music scene in the North America? How does it compare to the desi music scene in the UK?

Your For The Taking

LV: Well, the Desi scene in the UK is awesome and more experimental than here in North America, but is has also been around for longer than the North American scene. Out there, especially with gigging, it is a lot easier because the cities are so much closer and you know what is going on in the nearby cities and towns.

San-J: Yeah, things are definitely different out here, but things are looking up, there seems to be a lot of positive stuff going on helping to promote the scene especially in California and on the east coast. Vancouver is still a little slow, but I think we will come around in time.

Amen: What is your opinion on mp3 downloads? What do you think are the benefits and drawbacks of them? How do you think they are affecting the industry?

San-J: I can't lie; I have downloaded songs and burned CDs in the past, but what I do believe is that downloading should act as a test. Download the song and if the song is good download a high quality version and pay .99 cents for it. If the whole album is good go out and buy it and support the artist. But, if someone puts out an album that is just crap, I wouldn't expect people to buy the album. The artists need to put out quality products and respect the consumer if they want that respect back. Right now downloading is really hurting the industry because people can't fathom paying for something that can be gotten for free, and what I want people to realize is that us artists do this because we love it, if we can't survive and stop creating music then music could stop altogether. On the other hand if a kid loves one of my songs how can I be pissed if he or she downloads it, I can't, the joy the song brings that kid is worth more to me than anything. It is a really touchy subject.

LV

LV: Honestly, people have to remember the hard work, time and money that is put into the whole production of an album, thus it is only fair that the consumers respect that and pay for CDs, but I also understand the public does not want to pay such high prices. The industry is suffering not because of downloads but rather what lead to downloading, the high price of CDs. Especially in the Indian music industry, it seems that everybody wants to rip each other off and make more money than the next to the point where the artists are ripped off by the labels and distributors and in return by the consumers when they download. I agree with San-j on this, this is definitely a very grey area.

Amen: What do you think of the use of samples in Asian music these days?

LV: Way too much, it is okay to a certain degree, but when something is totally ripped off then it becomes not cool. Just don't rip off someone's original work and take credit for it.

San-J: I think it is alright to a point, if you are going to take a whole piece from one of my songs at least ask for permission but a sample here and there is okay, actually it is flattering.

Amen: What should we expect from "Signia" in the near future?

LV: Always something different, always something fun and always something about us.

San-J: Big things, whatever we can think up we are going to try doing and of course gathering material for our next album and getting that going.

Amen: Do you have a final message for the thousands of desitunes4u visitors all over the world?

Signia: We want to thank everyone out there that has purchased our album, or come out to one of our shows and shown us support, if you haven't yet, check out our website to find our more about us and for music samples www.signiaonline.com Lastly, follow your dreams and they will take you to great placed and may god bless you.

That ends the interview, a big thanks to Signia for taking some time out to chat to us. Make sure you check out the Signia website and if you want to e-mail them direct then you can do just that at info@signiaonline.com now!!