Rabbi Shergill won’t give up any chance to be a part of Bollywood music
He is perhaps one of the few musicians to have introduced the concept of Punjabi Sufi and rock music to Indian audience, and musician Rabbi Shergill plans to continue pursuing his passion in the coming times, too.
The singer, who shifted to Mumbai from Delhi last month so that he can be more involved with the music scene across India, says he would not skip any opportunity that allows him to be a part of Bollywood music.
“I would love every chance I get in Bollywood. I would love to work in any industry — Punjabi, Oriya or Gujarati — I have no problems anywhere,” says Rabbi, who has lent his voice to Bollywood songs such as Tere Bin (Delhii Heights; 2007) and Challa (Jab Tak Hai Jaan; 2012).
Rabbi rose to popularity in 2004 with his song Bulla Ki Jana based on the poetry of the 18th century sufi poet, Bulleh Shah. He says that he will never leave his love for music based on poetry. “I won’t be restricted to any genre. I like spiritual poetry, but I will do poetry of all kinds. The idea is to do poetic work and that could be in Punjabi, Hindi or any other language. I try to explore it from my musical vantage point of view, which is rock music,” he says.
The singer, who is from Delhi, has the highest regard for Punjabi film industry and the growth it has witnessed over the years. “I have the greatest respect for the way it [Punjabi film industry] has come up leaps and bounds,” he says, adding, “I would love if Punjabi film industry would reflect their culture a little more. Right now, the way I look at it is as a sibling of Hindi industry, but it’s great to see the kind of growth and momentum it has picked.”
Rabbi, who has released three albums so far, says, “Very soon, my listeners should look forward to a lot of my own music. I want to convey it in a very basic and raw sense. They should also expect some film music.”
Right now, Punjabi film industry is like a sibling of Hindi film industry, but it’s great to see the kind of momentum it has picked up. RABBI SHERGILL
MUSICIAN