RDB :UK Brothers Musical Journey

Yaari hain jaan enna di, vakhari hain shaan enna di,

Hasna pehchaan enna di, tahiyon aye duniya kehndi

Yaari hai jaan enna di, vakhri hai shaan enna di,

Hasna pehchaan enna di, sab milke kendhe ne..

Singh is king, Singh is king,

– RDB song from Singh is King.

Who thought that three brothers from UK could change the meaning of music for us? Who thought that music industry would start believing that nothing but their music can make a song chartbuster? Yes, they came and transformed the meaning of what Punjabi music was all about few years back, keeping the essence intact and it’s none other than RDB. In an exclusive interview with Surjeet Singh (a member of RDB), A.Kameshwari from One World News had an opportunity to know much about RDB.

Surj : RDB

Why did you decide the name as RDB?

Rhythm and Bass were the genre of our music and hailing from a Punjabi background Dhol was always going to be in the middle of it all. Therefore Rhythm, Dhol and Bass i.e. RDB.

Tell us about the tour you are on these days?

We are performing in all sorts of exotic locations likePataya, Thailand, Bangkok, Hongkong, and then Melbourne etc. so it is almost like a world tour. But wherever I might go I love and miss Delhi. It is like my second home after Dubai.

From the Gurudwara to the World platform, you started your journey right with the blessings of Guru Sahib, so tell us all about it?

My father is still a daragi at a local Gurudwara. He influenced us to come on the stage with him and sing kirtan, shabad, bhajan and the entire musical elements. So our musical influences have really originated from religious aspect which I think is the best way for anyone to get started with anything. So from there we fell in love with music and started creating music on our own. Our music was influenced by western music as we were brought up in UK andamalgamation of Indian and western music is what makes RDB.

When was your first performance as RDB?

I must confess that it was just a hobby in the beginning. On my eighteenthbirthday party, we decided to perform and play songs as DJ’s in front of the public.After that we were mixing sounds, creating beats, making music with electric equipment, making mix tapes and showing it to friends who further showed it to their friends from where it reached to parties and then clubs. Eventually, we met someone who wanted to start up with a record label and release some albums and that is how our journey to make our hobby something big started.

How did you bag-in your first Bollywood project?

It was Akshay Kumar who got us to Bollywood. He flew to London and out of the blue contacted us. Late Kuli Paji (Brother) got in touch with him and Akshay showed him a CD which had his favorite Punjabi songs. Akshay wanted us to create something like that for his movie but when Kuli Paji heard the songs he realized almost 80% of it was RDB music. It was then that we realized that Akshay is one of our biggest fans and obviously after that, it was natural to work with him for his upcoming movie. So that’s how we got our first Bollywood project, Namastey London’s song ‘Rafta Rafta’. After that it was natural for Akshay and us to work for projects together, so we did Singh is King, De Dhana Dhan, Kambhakt Ishq, Shera di Kom and in between we also had the opportunity to pick and choose the right projects for us like- Aloo Chaat, Saddi Gali etc.

Now that it is only you who is taking care of RDB, is it difficult?

It is a struggle to hold on to it all alone. Kuli Paji’s loss has been very detrimental for not only RDB but also our family. Thishad an adverse effect on the other member Manj, who left RDB to make a solo career. We are going to keep Kulialive through our music. That is why I wanted to continue RDB on my own, to honor Kuli Paji.

What is it that scares you the most?

People come up to me and say ‘you are RDB’. True,that is what I do but it is not who I am. I don’t want to be at a height where people feel that they cannot reach me. I try to stay as grounded as possible and it is my biggest fear to lose my footing and become detached from people.

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What has been the WOW moment of your journey?

See I have different responses for different parts of my life. Personally, the most amazing moment of my lifeis getting married. Professionally, the initiation of RDB was something like a dream for us. To start asa three brother team from England to expanding our talent all across the world is something truly amazing. The fact that people love us, dance to our tunes and sing our songs is something WOW for us and in fact for every performer.

How has been your journey so far?

It has been steady rise with a big down fall. The rise was how it started from UK and expanded itself around the world. The biggest downfall was losing Kuli Paji. However, he was a very positive person and it was a blessing to be with him. He was someone who could boost your moraleon the spot and his positivity is what’s going to stay in our memories.Tamanchepe disco was our first song after his demise, and his spirit reflects in the song. So that is our journey, and that is how we continue as RDB to lead Bollywood.

What do you have to say about modern-day music?

Now we see a good blend of different music together. I have been working in Bollywood for the past 6-7 years and initially when we started, there was a very strong stereotype for Punjabi culture which we wanted to change completely. For people Punjabi’s were Tunuk Tunuk or Balle Balle, and I think it is true to say that now Punjabi music is of international standard.

Because the world is shrinking and music is expanding, India has become much more welcoming for different genre of music. We now see people listening to rock music which wasn’t the scenario few years back. It is crazy how people recognize international stars and they complement us for our products or experiments with them.

It is great to see that barriers are falling because of music although Bollywood isstill reserved when it comes to experimenting.However, when they see a trend building up they do give it a try. RDB do not want to follow a trend but create one and that is what our motive is. International music is growing but our music is world music.

What message would you like to give to our readers?

Everyone who has been listening to RDB, a big thank you to all of you, because it is you who have made us what we are today and people who do not know RDB we would like you to log on to our website called rhythmdholbass.com and experience what we are.