INDIA ON JEFF’S MIND

Music producer Jeff Bhasker says he belongs to both India and the US, but is also a foreigner in both; treasures his bond with Jasbir Jassi

Jeff Bhasker came to India after 30 years as “an American”, yet the fivetime Grammy Awardwinning music producer of Indian origin feels like “an outsider” when he goes back to the US. He calls it “a blessing and a curse”, but intends to focus on the positive.

“I’m a foreigner when I come here, and I feel like an outsider when I am in America. I think it’s a good thing because you get that chance to see things from the eyes of an outsider. Personally, that inspires me to bring people and cultures together [through music],” says the music producer, who has worked on some of the biggest international hits such as Uptown Funk, Run This Town, All of the Lights and We Are Young.

Clearly, he has worked with top singers such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and most recently, Harry Styles, but the musician closest to his heart is popular Indi pop singer, Jasbir Jassi. “We first worked together [on an album] 15 years ago, and me working with the biggest artists today is all because I worked with him (Jassi). Our collaborations grew into a beautiful friendship. I treat him as my guru, my brother,” says Jeff.

The producer’s recent India trip was his first since 1987. “It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part [to stay away], but I guess we were really Americanised,” he says.

His family had to leave their house in Lahore during the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. They lived in India for a brief period, and permanently settled in the US in 1955. “My grandparents, especially my grandfather, had too many painful memories of the Partition. Maybe that’s why after he moved to America, he decided that it would be our home,” says Jeff, who is proud of his Indian roots. “I remember when I visited as a small boy I was so excited. The feeling is still the same.”

I’m a foreigner when I come here, and feel like an outsider in America. It’s a good thing... It inspires me to bring people and cultures together [through music] JEFF BHASKER,

MUSIC PRODUCER