Singer Daler Mehndi tells Siddhika Prajapati that his new single Panga Na Lena is a tribute to the Cricket World Cup
Singer Daler Mehndi made his bhangra cool worldwide. The other thing that he is identified with his super cool dressing attire of long flowing robes and a turban. The singer, songwriter and author’s new song, Panga Na Lena is releasing today. It promises to acknowledge not only the Indian Cricket team but also those who support India.
Daler, who is credited with having been a part of the alternate music scene in days when only Bollywood ruled the charts, is also a composer of the song. He can also be seen dancing with cricket fans across several locations in the video. Talking about his tribute to the World Cup, Daler says, “I am delighted to collaborate with SpotlampE to launch a peppy new track for all the cricket fans. Cricket is one of the largest religions in India and composing Panga Na Lena to celebrate the biggest sports festival was an honourable experience.”
The voice behind the unforgettable song, Bolo Tara Ra Ra, can’t wait to see the viewer’s response to the track. He is confident that it can become the next cricket anthem and will top the music charts as well. “The music video portrays the emotions that a cricket fan holds for his favourite cricketer. It captures the essence and craze for the game while targeting all age groups. It is perfect to set the mood for the World Cup,” he adds.
The Punjabi singer believes that both film songs and independent music albums have a place in expanding a singer’s repertoire. He thinks that recording for a music album gives exposure whereas recording for a film’s song, the singer has to work according to its lyrics. “The artist has a huge responsibility to do justice to portray the director’s vision while recording for a film’s song. And sometimes this becomes very challenging, which I love,” he says.
Daler is a proud Indian and motivated to deliver songs that have a patriotic flavour. He sang songs such as Rang De Basanti and Gurbani (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag). And with his latest release, he tries to touch a chord of every Indian cricket fan. He says, “This is a tribute to my motherland. The song will be heard whenever the world cup is being played. The music is catchy and it will be on the minds of the audience when they watch the match.”
Daler is happy that remakes are getting trendy these days and the youth appreciates the lyrics of the old songs with new catchy tunes. And taking off from that, he is also keen on working on the re-makes of his own hits such as Tunak Tunak Tun, Na Na Na Re and Kudiya Shehar Diyan. “I want to give a twist and make some interesting variations. It has been more than a decade since Tunak Tunak Tun was released and I am overwhelmed by the fact that it is still played at parties and other occasions. I feel if a song is created with an essence of good lyrics and music, it can never die.”
For him, music has changed a lot in comparison to what it was earlier. The tastes and preferences of the audience have evolved, which has made artists create music accordingly. For this reason they add a touch of rap, some words and bizarre lyrics as well.
“I introduced Punjabi indie pop music in the nineties, a genre that is still admired and praised by many. But these days, digital plays a significant role in multiplying the plethora of contents being delivered. There is much more fusion now and not many genres such as Sufi, Pop, Rock, Qawwali are made in their natural forms. Perhaps my songs are still the most played ones on the digital medium even today,” he adds.
Daler admits that the singers of his time were more explorative in terms of genres. He believes that the younger lot nowadays doesn’t pay attention to learning different variations in music. They just know the basics and do not have much expertise in their profession. “My speciality of being natural is my versatility. Even my music and tracks transcend genres. I appreciate and feel blessed by the divine for making me what I am today.”
