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IANS
In the 1990s, he won hearts with his re-worked version of Chura liya -- and hits like Gur nalon ishq mitha, Dil cheez and Tum bin -- at a time when social media was nowhere in sight. British-Indian record producer Baljit Singh Sagoo, known better as Bally Sagoo, says there is a misconception that Punjab's bhangra music genre is just about balle balle.
Sagoo believes Bollywood has progressed a lot with new sounds, but not bhangra music.
"Bhangra is not just about balle balle and hoye hoye. Youngsters out there don't want to listen to Punjabi music anymore. And when I say Punjabi music, it's the language fused with different sounds, just like English, Latino and other global sounds.
"My music differs and I have been serving different tastes in most of my albums -- varying from mellow, dance, R&B and romantic, so there can be a lot of variety in bhangra songs," said Sagoo, who has three decades of experience in the music industry.
He said that in Punjab, people are still using the beats which he was using in the early 1990s.
"They use the same types of percussion whereas, in my opinion, they should be fusing the language with different sounds -- with a bit of bhangra as we all love it. Also, one major thing is that female singers are missing. It has always been a male-dominated industry. It should be a collaborative effort," said Sagoo, who performed in Gurugram for Lohri celebrations at DLF Cyber Hub.
With most Punjabi songs hailing women, flashy cars and watches, Sagoo, who has scored music for films like Bend It Like Beckham and Monsoon Wedding, says people should look beyond trying to get a big fat car in a video.
"I think today songs pretty much contain some sort of violence, women and bling, and I personally don't like that kind of stuff. Neither do I like those kinds of videos. I think they give a very wrong impression to youngsters, to the children out there," said the 53-year-old artiste.
"India now has access to what happens around the world. Of course, a lot of people are seeing what is happening all over the world but some things don't work the same way in our society and in our culture," he added.
Sagoo said he prefers making videos that people can enjoy with the family.
"I don't like guns, gangsters or any sort of violence. People should be making more and more true music and experimenting more. With bhangra music, it is the same topic: Boy meets girl; boy tries to impress the girl. I guess more and more new styles of music should be introduced into bhangra music," he said.
On the trend he foresees in the music industry, Sagoo pointed out how India has a lot of DJs, but few record producers.
"To compete with the world, we really need a lot more composers and new, serious vocalists. We have a lot of DJs but not enough producers. The trend nowadays is towards R&B and hip-hop," said the artiste, whose last album was 'Cafe Punjab' released in 2015.
Stressing that 'Bollywood will always be the king', Sagoo said there are people outside India who want to hear different sounds and vibes and which is why he wants more and more people to constantly push the boundaries.
Sagoo is currently handling several new projects and will soon be releasing a brand new album.
