Punjabi music doesn’t need vulgarity, its poetry can make people dance: Jasbir Jassi

Jasbir Jassi maybe still largely known for

Dil Le Gayee

Kudi Gujarat Di, but the singer says his adherence to folk music is now paving the way for change. “Years ago when I used to sing Heer, Shiv Kumar Batalvi,

Bulleh Shah

, in hindsight I was doing thinking, kya farak padta hai, meri training ho jayegi,” he says, adding, “Now I realise, that those genres were my investment which are paying off today. People want poetry based music because they are scared that their children are consuming violence and addictions through lyrics of songs. Coincidentally, by not giving up traditional music then, I maintained my relevance in present times.”

An indicator of this change is when

Jassi

performs at events, audiences request folk renditions from him. “Recently, at a wedding people demanded folk songs and the session went up to nearly two hours. This is a different experience. People are interested in connecting with their culture again. At this rate, we won’t need governments to enforce maintenance of cultural sanctity in

Punjabi

music,” he says.

Jassi, whose recent film songs include title track of

Sharma Ji Namkeen

, says, “While filmmakers are surely asking for remakes of Kudi Kudi, Dil Le Gayee, poetry in music is coexisting. In fact, towards the end of the wedding I gave the guests Koka, but they weren’t interested and wanted more folk numbers.”

For many, this phase is a revival of poetry in music, for which Jassi has also been credited in recent times. However, he says for the young generation, this is their definition of music. “For those like us, who have seen pop and classical, this seems like a comeback of poetry, but the youth today understand profundity in music,” he says with reference to his sons, Jerry and Simba who are both musicians. “Both of them have in-depth knowledge of sound. While Simba sings western songs, he keeps purity of music intact and Jerry is into music production. Interestingly, I face a different problem with them because they prefer authentic music only. I am keen on pure sounds too, but I am also a commercial artist.”

Wrapping up, Jassi says this revival is reason why, “Young artists like Satinder Sartaaj, Shivjot, Kulwinder Billa are being appreciated.” He adds, “Punjabi doesn’t need to be vulgarised, Punjabi bolis and Heer are enough to make people dance.”