Over the past few years, singer Rashmeet Kaur have rose to prominence holding several hits like Bajre Da Sitta, Nadiyon Paar and Lagan Lagi to her account. The singer have beautifully merged the essence of folk music with the contemporary western beat. She have been successful to a good extent in upkeeping a balance between the two. She reveals that how she has been working on building up the taste of folk music amongst the listeners.
“My latest EP Kya Kariye has three songs, out of which Lagan Lagi is already out. The entire EP is based on Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain’s poetry. All the poets whose verses are available on the internet. I keep reading them all. The whole idea behind creating fusion by combining poetry and new sounds such as R&B, acoustic or hip-hop, is to take those words of wisdom to a wider audience,” Kaur told in an interview with Hindustan Times.
The singer added, “These poems carry such beautiful messages, and I feel it can come through groovy songs too. People can groove to the sound, and listen to meaningful lyrics as well. That’s when the message of the song will strike them. The whole idea is to deliver intelligent stuff through a new age sound and pop vibe.”
In cue to her latest song, she elucidates that, “Many versions of the song already exist, because the poem belongs to everyone. I have added my own twist to it, and my own elements. It is my own interpretation. For me, it is more than just creating music or sound.”
She then affirms her idea of preserving and adding a tinge of folk music to her compositions, “I think it is my responsibility to take forward this part of our Indian culture. It is my responsibility. Right now, everybody is releasing a lot of songs. Har din ek gaana aata hai. It has become very easy. Releasing a song is just a click away. So aise time pe jahan sabko hit hona hai, and everyone wants to follow the mob mentality, someone has to think differently. We have to think extra hard if we want to make a mark in the industry.”
When asked by her original compositions, the singer ardently answered that “It’s only when I am one with nature, does it (writing new music) comes to me. The new music is an example of that. I love to go to the hills, be alone and explore and that’s how I write my music,” she says.
“And I think when you dig deep into poetry, we realize that humare pass itna bada folk music ka legacy hai. All my songs are folk fusion songs. It is important for me as an artist to keep that side of me alive through my independent releases. As I grow as an artist, I think my responsibility is also growing,” she said.
“I love to experiment and collaborate. I believe the more you collaborate, the more you become better as a musical artist. I just want to grow and learn as an artist. For me I don’t get stuck. IF one song is a big hit, I am immediately onto the next song. I am always ready to give my one hundred percent, and that is something that will never change,” she concludes.
