I have always maintained a keen interest in Bhangra music: Prit DV8

UK born vocalist Prit DV8 (aka Pritpal Rayat) speaks about his latest single 'Nikki Gal' featuring Sazia Judge, music produced by the exceptionally talented Gupsy Aujla, what he is working on and more:
Tell us about yourself and what you do? I am a UK born Bhangra vocalist from Leeds (West Yorkshire) known as Prit DV8 (full name is Pritpal Singh Rayat), and am one of the original founding members of the northern based group DV8.I have had an interest in singing, and particularly folk Bhangra music since a young age. This interest developed further by listening to established bands such as Achanak, Malkit Singh, Pardesi, DCS and Safri Boys on the live circuit during the 1990s, at a time when the UK bhangra music scene was, without doubt the most prosperous.
There are many artists that inspire me, from old school legends such as Sardool Sikander ji and Late Surjit Bindrakhia ji to the likes of other well established Bhangra vocalists like Jazzy B and Shin DCS. In recent years, the UK Bhangra scene has grown positively through the emergence of high calibre singers such as Jaz Dhami, JK, Saini Surinder to name but a few, which is great and encouraging for the industry going forward.
You started your musical journey with the group DV8. How was this an experience for you? The experience of starting out with DV8 will always be special to me, and I���������m still very much an integral part of DV8. The musical journey started back in 2000 when I was introduced to Suki Kaila (Shera Productions and ex keyboard lead for the band Sahara) through a mutual friend. At the time, I was looking for a music producer and Suki was looking to branch out his production expertise to work with new artists. This led to the formation of DV8 and our debut song Tera Khera was released on the compilation album ���������Purely Nachural 7��������� via Nachural Records. This song was well received, and we then went on to feature on further Nachural Records compilation albums, including ��������� The Unsigned��������� ���������and ���������Purely Nachural 8���������. After featuring on these compilation albums, we recorded and released the DV8 debut album ���������Basic Instinct��������� via Nachural Records, all the way back in 2005!
After the release of the last album by DV8 ��������� What made you return to Bhangra ��������� in this new age era? I have always maintained a keen interest in Bhangra music and the industry, but took a break from recording new material due to work and family commitments.In the past 5 years, the industry has evolved so much, particularly through the influx of an new artists, both in terms of vocalists and producers which has resulted in the focus shifting towards bhangra singles being released rather than full albums. Record labels simply don���������t have the budgets in place anymore to fund full albums for the majority of artists, so releasing singles, in this modern digital era, appears to be the most financially feasible and practical way forward.
Furthermore, the emergence of duet traditional folk based singles in recent years has brought a fresh new impetus to the UK Bhangra Industry, which in part influenced my decision to make a return with my new single Nikki Gal ��������� a collaboration featuring the versatile Punjabi folk female vocalist Sazia Judge (from Saa Charju fame by PBN) and well renowned music producer Gupsy Aujla.
Source: simplybhangra.com