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Amandeep Singh : Punjabi music is making waves

Singh recently released a new party song titled “De-Daaru” by Indian music label Bullman Records. The party song rejoices friendship and living moments of happiness, says the music label…writes Siddhi Jain.

Without any language barriers, people love hearing Punjabi music. Punjabi pop music artist Amandeep Singh, better known by his industry name Deep Money, says that Punjabi music is making waves and is well-accepted in Bollywood and among Bollywood lovers. “In fact, we see most of the Bollywood songs using Punjabi lyrics nowadays,” he tells.

Deep Money debuted in 2011 with Yo Yo Honey Singh with the single ‘Dope Shope’ and says he has had a challenging music career. He is known for his work on ‘Race 3’ (2018) and ‘Veerey Ki Wedding’ (2018), among others.

“With god’s grace, I achieved big things after my first single. These days Punjabi music is hitting the charts globally. In every Bollywood movie, there is at least one Punjabi song. In the coming days, Punjabi music will break more records,” says the ‘Heeriye’ singer.

Singh recently released a new party song titled “De-Daaru” by Indian music label Bullman Records. The party song rejoices friendship and living moments of happiness says the music label. Directed by Ashish Rai, AD Deepak Taggar and produced by Sabby Airy and Aishwary Tripathi, it was released in late March and is gaining popularity.

Says Deep Money: “I hope the song comes up with the new party wave as it’s a hip groove along to number.”

“The pandemic continues and we have seen people stuck inside their homes for months now and people are getting frustrated with the same boring life, not able to go out or party or have fun. Luckily we’ve got a vaccine and everyone is aware of all the precautions to be taken. So, we have come up with the new party song as a gift to help them groove through the months to come. Though people are facing so many tensions, they should relax and enjoy their life following all the guidelines imposed by the government,” he said.

Punjabi pop music is often accused of glorifying alcohol consumption and the objectification of women. When asked his thoughts on it, the Punjabi singer who has recently worked with Isabelle Kaif says: “Punjabis are fun-loving and believe in making people happy. If we talk about glorifying alcohol in Punjabi music, we intentionally indicate that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, which means to always cheer your life no matter what you’re going through.”

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Positive impacts of soothing music on baby

She found when mothers sung lullabies, stress levels dropped not just for the baby but for mothers as well…writes Siddhi Jain.

Music is the greatest therapy in the world. Music plays an important role in developing a child’s growth, brain development, even before birth. Listening to music when a kid is in the womb is not only be soothing to the mothers’ mood but also has a positive influence on the baby.

By 24 weeks, as the babies ears form and develop, they have been shown to turn their heads in response to voices and noise in the last few months of pregnancy and can recognise their mother’s voice, native language, word patterns, and rhymes, says Furtados School of Music.

The early years in a child’s life can be termed as the “prime time” for his/her young developing brain. This intense period of brain growth and network-building capacity happens only once in a lifetime. As parents, this period of brief but unique opportunity is extremely important to encourage and facilitate the formation of brain circuitry in our infants, it adds.

Benefits of simple and slow music

The English word lullaby’ comes from the lala’ or ‘lulu’ that are sounds made by mothers or nurses to calm children. These are sung in our most intimate spaces as our days come to a close, these songs hold far more than their function. As situations change, lullabies help to establish safe spaces for children.

Today, amid changes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, lullabies endure as an especially important way to preserve tender moments between parents and their young children. It is like a safe spot where the child feels its mother’s warmth and belonging. A familiar tune or music or song becomes like a session of music therapy.

There is a growing body of research on how lullabies help soothe both the caregiver and child. Laura Cirelli, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Toronto, studies the science of maternal song. She found when mothers sung lullabies, stress levels dropped not just for the baby but for mothers as well. In her most recent work, she found that familiar songs soothed babies the most.

How does this impact children?

Language acquisition, or learning to speak, is natural for most babies, in other words, they learn language simply through exposure and play. Studies have shown that exposing your baby to music can speed up the process of learning to speak and help them to master complex language concepts.

Marking this as an extremely important part of the growth of a child, Angela Mee Lee in association with Furtados School of Music has recently launched its new course ‘Moments of Music and Magic’ that helps develop and stimulate the child’s brain through music. This is a mother-child bonding course that brings out the best of the child. The course is available on their website www.fsmbuddy.com.

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Lata Ji’s spiritual magic for music lovers

Singer Lata Mangeshkar. (File Photo: IANS)

“There is such richness in the poetry of the great saint and to have Lata Didi bring them to life through her voice is indeed a marvellous way to reach out to a wider audience,” he added…reports Asian Lite News.

India’s all time playback legend singer Lata Ji entered into an other exciting project. Lata Mangeshkar has launched her Marathi album “Bhavartha Mauli” on the occasion of Gudi Padwa.

The album is a collection of 10 devotional Marathi songs, introduced and sung by the veteran singer and composed by her brother Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar. The songs are based on the works of Marathi saint and 13th century poet Sant Dnyaneshwar.

“It is an absolute honour and a privilege that I am able to present the poetic works of the great saint and poet Sant Dnayeshwar to this generation. Through this album called Bhavaarth Mauli, my brother Hridaynath and I have made a humble attempt to introduce each of these poems by a commentary explaining and unravelling the spirituality and essence of the poetry,” Lata Mangeshkar said.

“I hope the audience has the same beautiful spiritual experience listening to these beautiful compositions just as we have had in bringing them to you,” she added.

Lata Mangeshkar (ANI)

Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar said : “Working on the album Bhavaarth Mauli, which is a compilation of the immortal compositions of Sant Dnyaneshwar recorded by Lata Didi and me more than 50 years ago, and now being present ed anew, embellished with a commentary by Lata Didi herself, has been a humb ling experience for me.”

“There is such richness in the poetry of the great saint and to have Lata Didi bring them to life through her voice is indeed a marvellous way to reach out to a wider audience,” he added.

“Bhavaarth Mauli” released on the Saregama Marathi YouTube channel and on music streaming platforms.

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‘Stage performance teaches you humility’

It’s been a huge learning curve for me, I have learned how to set up a small studio at my residence with the help of my recording engineer at the studio…Usha Uthup speaks with Siddhi Jain.

“Stage performance teaches you humility, dignity and honesty and makes you realise that the only reason you are up on stage is because of the audience and their love for you, art and entertainment,” says legendary playback singer Usha Uthup. The 1947-born artist tells that performing live for an audience is an “exhilarating experience”.

Uthup, in a recent collaboration with Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa) India which was founded in 2007 by violinist L. Subramaniam and Bollywood playback singer Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, took a masterclass on the tips and intricacies of stagecraft. The popular artiste and singer broke down the elements of entertaining on stage.

In an interview with us about life in lockdown and performing on both the real and virtual stages. Edited excerpts:

What has been your most prominent learning during the lockdown?

Throughout the past year, I think I have worked the most through the lockdown. It’s been a huge learning curve for me, I have learned how to set up a small studio at my residence with the help of my recording engineer at the studio. My team has helped me with the nuances of Zoom and other online communication platforms. I have been connected to people through phones and video calls.

Another thing that I have learned and what the pandemic has taught us is to be global citizens. It has increased our horizon to think and care for people outside our social circle. To be careful and mindful of our deeds and how we impact people around us. I have also realised having a routine and being disciplined helps and is what has kept me going. I start my day by chanting mantras and taking a walk in my home. Post that I continue with my singing work.

The concept of the ‘stage’ took on another form during the pandemic, with the computer and mobile screen turning into stage for artistes across genres. Your thoughts on this digital stage?

During the lockdown, I was able to adapt to the digital stage seamlessly through the help of my team Gautam Basu, Somresh and Rinta. Through the lockdown, even though the stage shows couldn’t happen, I was able to connect with my audience through the 6-7 songs which I recorded in my home studio and released them on the social media platforms. The response has been humongous and shows the kind of love the audience has for you as a singer. It has also helped me to be a Global artist through my work. Plus the digital stage has not only boomed for performances, but also for online learning. Through SaPa India, I am able to conduct this masterclass on Stagecraft where people can learn about posture, stage manners and other nuances which can be used not only for live shows but for virtual shows as well.

You had mentioned during the lockdown months that getting on a stage to perform would not be possible for some time. Are you happy that the entertainment and cultural spaces are opening up?

USHA UTHUP (Wikipedia)


For 51 years of my career, I have performed on stage for numerous shows. It’s an exhilarating experience of performing for the audience who are right in front of you and the musicians right beside encouraging you with each verse of the song. The stage performance teaches you humility, dignity and honesty and makes you realize that the only reason why you are up on the stage is because of the audience and their love for you, art and entertainment. So yes, it’s great we can go back to such ways of entertainment, of course keeping the Covid-19 precautions in mind. I’m looking forward to doing shows again.

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Please tell us about your association with SaPa India

 Kavita has been a dear friend of mine for years and I have such high admiration and respect for both L. Subramaniam and Kavita Subramaniam. And it’s great that they have a brainchild like SaPa, an academy, which is training children as young as 3-years-old. And I am so grateful to them for including Stagecraft as a subject. It’s one of the most important aspects of being an artist apart from technical knowledge, regular practice, among others. And I’m very thankful to them for giving me this opportunity to take the masterclass. It provides an awakening to people that no matter how good a singer or an artist you are, what would you do if you didn’t have the right kind of stagecraft to perform. Because entertainment is a serious business indeed.

Apart from this masterclass, I am also designing and launching a self-paced course with SaPa India to be released shortly.

About your upcoming plans..

I have released about 6-7 songs with videos. The only difference between me and the other artists is that I don’t actively promote them through digital platforms like Instagram and YouTube because I’m not very well versed with such mediums. And my work is not just in Hindi films, but I have done songs across Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil as well. My latest project is now with SaPa India.

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SPECIAL: Spread Your Wings of Love

The main character roles are played by the youngest budding star Baby Ivania, Mr. Abhilash Joseph of IAN institute, his wife Rosemin Abhilash and son, Ian…reports Asian Lite News.

Autism spectrum disorder is a very relevant concern of the modern society. Around the world, the number of this children with this neurodevelopmental disorder is increasing . Early diagnosis can contribute early treatment which normally tend to effective or immense improvement in the behaviour of the child.

A group of Indian professionals produced a  video album titled “PARANNUYARAAM” (Fly Away) to support families and celebrate the success stories of autistic children on the eve of World Autism Day which is observed on April 2 of every year. The album was released by Ian Institute of Rehabilitation & Research Centre on the Autism awareness Day . “PARANNUYARAAM” (Fly away) is truly a Musical Tribute to the Day.

Abhilash Joseph of IAN institute

A unique way to pay mark World Autism Day. This musical album was designed by the well-known company “CELEBRIDGE.” It was dedicated to all children around the world with autism and their parents and all the loved ones who love them. The music of this album, which has received great attention globally, has been composed in the Western format.

Rosemin Abhilash

IAN Institute of Rehabilitation and Research is run by IAN Charitable Foundation, working to enhance and facilitate the well being of the Differently-abled, and thereby intend to create a Disability-friendly society.

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The album is conceptualised by actor, director and scriptwriter Shankar Ramakrishnan. Shoukath Lensman is the Creative head and Visualisation is done by Yousaf Lensman. The song produced by DR Abhilash and Rosemin Abhilash and sung by the lead of the famous Rex Band, playback singer Mr. Hector Lewis (USA) along with other well-known singers Rani Hector, Meryl Ann Mathew, Shaji Chundan and Testini Melon Texas (USA).

Yousaf Lensman

The main character roles are played by the youngest budding star Baby Ivania, Mr. Abhilash Joseph of IAN institute, his wife Rosemin Abhilash and son, Ian.

Mr Yousaf Lensman, Mr. Ansoor P M, Mr. Ashraf Paathramangalam are the men behind the Camera for this wonderful portrayal. News distribution was made by Mr. A.S.Dinesh and the whole Project was designed by Mr Shamsi Tirur, Mr. Faisal Nalakath from UK along with Mr. Sinjo Nellissery. The wonderful poster designed by Mr Shamim Komath.

  • Fayiz Mohammad

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‘Saina’ is a special project’

Today, as the biopic of ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is ready for release, Amaal is “nervous and excited at the same time”…writes Samarth Goyal.

Lockdown was surely a period of creativity for most of the artists .Composer-singer Amaal Mallik is thankful for lockdown in a way. It gave him time to create the score of “Saina”, particularly the anthem song “Parinda”.

“Honestly, it was a bit frustrating at times, but it did give me that time to experiment with the music. I wanted to, for example, do something different for ‘Parinda’, since it is the anthem for the film. It was only possible during lockdown, because the film had gotten delayed that I got the time to work on it and that’s when I decided to work with Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra for the film. Overall, the four years didn’t really mean that I had to change the sound a lot,” he says.

The music took four years to be completed. Mallik admits that was “frustrating”, but at the same time was totally worth it “because I got the chance to work with Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra”.

Today, as the biopic of ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is ready for release, Amaal is “nervous and excited at the same time”.

“I am really nervous and excited at the same,” he laughs as he talks over the phone. “It is a special project and everything was really done with a lot of passion. I am really looking forward to seeing how people react to the music in the film,” adds Mallik, who has not only composed the songs in the film, but also created the background score.

This is the first time that the 30-year-old was asked to create a background score for a film. The process, Mallik says, helped him create his songs even better.

“It was a really big deal for me that I got to work on both — the songs and the background score. How it helped me in creating songs was that I knew what kind of music would accompany before and after a particular song. So I knew the exact emotion, the exact soundscape, and that really helped me a lot when it came to the songs,” he says adding that creating background score is not as easy.

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“It (background score) is a challenge for sure. I remember learning a lot of things about background music from Salim Merchant sir (of Salim-Suleiman composer duo), and he told me the importance of silences. Sometimes, silence conveys more about a particular situation than music, and understanding that part of background scoring is very important,” he says.

“In a movie like Saina, which is a biopic on one of the biggest athletes in India, there are many highs and lows. The approach, to create music cannot be linear. You have to make music that is not only inspiring and passionate, but also real,” he adds.

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Neeti excited in ‘motherhood’ journey

Singer Neeti Mohan is expecting her first child with husband, actor Nihaar Pandya. On Thursday, she posted to reveal how privileged she feels to be blessed with motherhood.

Neeti Mohan

Neeti posted a picture on Instagram and wrote: “Can’t describe in words what a beautiful journey pregnancy is!!! It’s a miracle that there is life growing inside of you. A small heart beating and tiny little feet kicking from time to time. And now that the baby can hear from the womb I love singing all the more.”

“This connection and creation is unique and so attuned to Mother Nature. Only when you experience you know what a privilege it is to prepare for motherhood. For now, I am filled with excitement and gratitude. My Love to all the Mammas and mommies -to be out there,” she added.

Neeti and Nihaar announced the news that they are expecting a child on February 15 through an Instagram post on the occasion of their second wedding anniversary.

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Sami Slams Twitter User Who Called Lata Mangeshkar ‘Overrated’

Singer Lata Mangeshkar. (File Photo: IANS)

Bollywood celebrities stood up in support of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar after Adnan Sami reacted to a troll who raised a question on the quality of her voice.

“Bandar Kya Jaane Adrak Ka Swaad…It’s better to stay silent and appear stupid than to open your mouth & remove all doubt!!” Adnan Sami tweeted.

The singer’s tweet came in response to a troll who wrote: “Indians have been brainwashed into thinking that Lata Mangeshkar has a good voice.”

A few others of the Bollywood fraternity have also reacted to the troll and defending the Bharat Ratna singer.

“One of the reasons I believe in Saraswati and divine is because of Lata Mangeshkar. One of the reasons I believe in devil is because of her haters,” tweeted filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri.

“I pray to God that in next life Lata Mangeshkar haters are born as humans like us who can understand beauty and understand what is truly divine,” he wrote in another tweet.

Singer Lata Mangeshkar. (File Photo: IANS)

“In her hey day, which lasted a long time, Lata Mangeshkar had an unmistakably mellifluous voice. Listen to just Lag Ja Gale to know that. Maybe you refer to the late 80’s & 90’s when, with age, her singing got screechy. I guess, In India, fans dont let you stop when you should,” expressed screenwriter and film editor Apurva Asrani.

“Twitter is the best medium for misers who mock respected stalwarts just to gain followers. Worthless people who can’t ever reach that level but have opinions that no one cares for. Instead of commenting or questioning one should block them!! #Latamangeshkar #Respect,” shared actress Koena Mitra.

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Lisa believes music as the ultimate alleviator of pain

‘Saath Saath Mein’, an original music video featuring the winners and mentors of digital-only musical reality show ‘Smule iDiva 1, 2, 3… Riyaaz’, launched on Monday. Indian American singer Lisa Mishra, who is one of the show’s mentors, feels that in times of hardship, music is the ultimate alleviater of pain…writes Siddhi Jain.

“It’s not just this year, I think historically we have “peace time” songs. I feel music is such a heavenly experience, anytime we face difficulty as a people and a world, we turn to music, it’s a great healer. I’m not surprised this happened in 2020 too. I think music has helped a lot of people get through what could easily be viewed as the toughest year in my generation’s life. As always, music is an uplifting and healing element,” Mishra told IANSlife.

The song also features Jassie Gill and Kusha Kapila, and talks about how when you have a song in your heart, you should get together and sing it “saath saath mein.”

The reality show amassed the love of over 15 million music lovers in a six-month run time. Produced by ILN Studios in partnership with Times Bridge, “Saath Saath Mein” was composed, recorded and shot remotely, connecting 25 winners and 3 mentors from across the country, without a physical meet. The song recordings were digitally stitched by Ankur Tewari to create the musical score. A music video was spliced together without an on-ground crew – but with enthusiastic winners who danced away to glory using their phone cameras. The footage was then edited using the animation to transform home-style footage into a stylized music video.

Mishra says about the remote shooting experience: “It was an interesting challenge to go from a location shoot to an end-to-end remotely shot production.”

“Shooting remotely was difficult at first but it sort of armed us for what would be the next year of our lives. For most digital creators, we just had to become independent and self-reliant over this summer. Initially it was a lot of learn again because I’ve been shooting by myself for over a decade but after having a crew and a team in this industry, you have to refine those old skills again and become completely independent,” she said.

“I think the talent was exceptional and they exceeded my expectations, although I knew we were going to see a few talented folks every week, the decision was pretty tough in choosing a winner. We’ve had incredible competitors and major talent on the app. I think a lot of them could have serious careers if they wanted. Mentoring them was easy because of how talented they were. It didn’t leave me with a lot of work to do,” she said about the participants.

‘Saath Saath Mein’ is available at iDIVA’s Youtube Channel and Smule app.

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Bruno Mars Inspires Benny Dayal

Acclaimed multilingual singer Benny Dayal says that it was from the concerts of American pop artist Bruno Mars that he learnt how amazing an artist needs to be while performing live on the stage…Benny Dayal speaks with Siddhi Jain.

Benny recently re-created the songs of Bruno Mars in a concert by Paytm Insider’s Jim Beam Originals. His pick stems from his love for the Grammy-winning artist. Given that when Benny isn’t doing film music work, he’s jamming with his indie band, Funktuation, it’s no surprise that the works of one of contemporary funk’s biggest names inspires him greatly.

Calling Bruno Mars — the winner of 11 Grammy awards and four Guinness World Records — as one of the most relatable musicians for 80’s and 90’s music, Benny said recreating his songs is a dream-come-true for every musician and a challenge simultaneously. He adds, “He has been my current inspiration for the last four years. I have always been listening to him, however, his last song 24K Magic, his personality and virtuosity got me head over heels. I’m glad to have this opportunity by Paytm Insider’s Jim Beam Originals to recreate his music.”

In a brief chat with IANSlife, Benny shared what kind of music inspires him to create and what he listened to in his early years.

“The kind of music that inspires me to create is something that is fresh, something I haven’t heard before and is at the same time, rooted, yet is urban and earthy.

“In my earlier years, I listened to a lot of Malayalam film music, classical music, a lot of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Queen, Sting, R&B,” he said.

Elaborating on the influence the ‘Uptown Funk’ creator has on him, he said: “Yes, Bruno Mars has inspired me a lot since the last four years since the last album came out. I got to see him perform live in Amsterdam and Abu Dhabi and it was an amazing experience because I learnt how amazing an artist needs to be on stage and at the same time carry his music, create music, produce music and at the same really excel at it. It’s just an amazing task and his (Bruno Mars’) dedication and brilliance in music is so amazing.”

Ask him which other international artists feature on his playlist, he names Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa as two of the newer artists.

For the concert, Benny said he kept a majority of the songs from Bruno Mars songs and some from his album with his band Funktuation which have been inspired from his sound a lot. “This is what happens when Bruno Mars comes into your life – he really influences your music a lot,” signs off the ‘Badtameez Dil’ singer.

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