New kids on the block

Check out Mitran Da Mood,a new Punjabi album produced by Mumbai-based music company Virsa Records featuring five singers including “Botlaan Sharaab Diyan Akha Teriyan” fame Meet Malkit along with Inder Gill,Charanjeet Channa,Dalbeer and Amit Kumar. A first of many,the album’s the brainchild of Chandigarh-based tabla player Ranbir Kumar,who has also composed all the songs of the album marking his debut as a music director! The album has a total of eight tracks of which ‘Mitran Da Mood’ has been sung by Meet Malkit along with a Bhangra version and ‘Jatt Vari Janda’ by Charanjeet with a club remix. Now here’s the icing on the cake – all the songs of this album are written by local lyricist Mandeep Gupta Rocky! As for the other members,20-year-old Amit has keen interest in Sufi music and has also lent his voice to the song ‘Pardes’. “I’ve been training under Ustad Neele Khan,a professional qawwal and a music teacher,” says Amit who also has a Sangeet Visharad diploma. ‘Pyaar tan ni ho gya’ and ‘Ilzaam’ have been sung by 25-year-old Dalbeer. A fan of Gurdas Mann and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,Dalbeer dreams of making a solo Punjabi album rich in quality and content. A two-time winner of youth festival twice,he’s training under Murli Dhar.

“I’m a huge fan of folk singers like Kuldeep Manak,Mohammad Sadiq and at the same time of singers like Hans Raj Hans and Feroz Khan,” chirps Charanjeet,a student of Shri. Sagar. On a serious note,Inder,a student of Government College,Sector 11 rendered his soulful voice to the sad number ‘Dard’ in the album. A fan of Ghulam Ali,Feroz Khan,Kailash Kher and student of Surinder Khan,an eminent Ghazal singer,Inder’s eyeing Bollywood playback.

Move on to the girls,and they’re totally into devotional music. After the huge success of first Gurbani album ‘Daras Tere Ki Pyas Mann Laagi’,Gurleen and Jasleen Kaur have rendered their voice to one of the shabads ‘Koi Aan Milawe Mera Preetam Pyara’ in a latest religious album ‘Har Ki Vadeayi’. While Gurleen is a student of Class VIII of Shemrock School and Jasleen studies at Dev Samaj College,Sector 45. “This album was been released in memory of Bhai Maan Singh by Bhai Gurdev Singh at a Kirtan Darbar in Gurdaspur by Darshan Kumar of T-series,” inform the sisters.

“Both sisters have been practicing and doing kirtans at various Gurduwaras since childhood. After realizing their potential,their mother,Jagjit,thought of providing them professional singing training and took them to famous musician late P. S. Bali,” tells the girls’ father Gurdeep Singh. “Ripudaman,our music teacher at Shemrock School also helped us,” adds Gurleen who has not only taken part in the gurbanis and kirtans but has been representing her school in music concerts,dramas etc. She even got selected in the Chandigarh Idol Competition and was among top five. Jasleen too has taken part in many cultural programmes and bagged first position at a Bhajan Competition held at S.D public School,Sector-32.

Way to go girls!