People are abandoning art for entertainment, says Rabbi Shergill

Known for his sonorous renditions, Rabbi Shergill’s voice shimmers with an essence of Punjab. The Bulla Ki Jana hit maker who earned the title of an urban balladeer with his soulful melodies is all set to enthral Mumbaikars this weekend. Prior to his performance, the artiste spoke to us about the indie music scene in India, the reason why we don’t we get to see him often.

Rabbi has been largely missing in action. However, the self-proclaimed gypsy, reveals that he was never on a hiatus. “I’m a travelling, performing, gigging musician. If you are in Mumbai and in Bollywood you record but people like us, not living in Mumbai we gig and that’s where we get to see our fans up close and personal. It’s a great scene right now for gigging and that keeps me busy; when it seems that the infrastructure for putting music out is going to favour us we put out a song,” adds the Delhi-based singer.

For him the inner urge to create something different comes from mundane everyday life, “I get inspired by anything and everything from life — music can strike you anytime. Could be something that easily catches your attention and you want to process it through song writing and accumulated experiences,” he says. Talking about his creative process, he compares it with snakeskin. “Like a snake strives to let go of its old skin, an old song is like that to a songwriter. It’s a painful agonising thing and you don’t really think about the time of the day. After conceiving the idea of a song I keep writing till it gets out of my system,” he explains.

Rabbi was the music director of Delhi Heights, after which he lent his voice to Challa from Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Ask him if indie singers compromise aesthetically when it comes to commercial Bollywood singing and he explains. “Life right now is so expensive that art for arts sake cannot be pursued, so if we have to make money, we do end up making compromises. You find that everywhere people are abandoning art for entertainment and commerce and I don’t think music is any different. When the cost of living goes down, art will come right back.”

Is he ready for some more Bollywood singing then, we ask, “That’ll only happen once I move to Mumbai. I’m a Delhi boy and I’m happy doing what I do here. So, when that changes perhaps people will see me a lot more in Mumbai.”

“Essentially a rock and roller”, in his words, Rabbi’s practise regime prior to a gig is focused on mesmerising the audience. “I pick up the guitar every now and then and jam intermittently through the day. Although, I’m not much into riyaaz these days. Preparations before going on stage include three days of full-on rehearsals and warm up exercises, which I continue up till the time I’m sure I can go full throttle from the very first note,” he adds. When asked about his plans for the upcoming gig, he says, “They (the audience) can expect a similar level of commitment and integrity in my music that they always have. Almost 80 per cent of my energy levels on stage are influenced by my audience — they play the biggest role.”

Rabbi Shergill will be performing on Saturday, May 28, 7 pm onwards at Dublin Square, Level 1, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla Tickets: Rs 300 onwards