Anand B

Emerging Artist Talks to The Asian Today

Jeeti Productions have unveiled their latest new artist, Anand B. 21-year-old Anand released his first hit single ‘Dil De De’ in June 2013 and now presents his new song ‘Rani’. Under the mentorship of the renowned Ustad Ajit Singh Mutlashi, Anand has delved into the genres of Bhangra, Punjabi and classical music and he is ready to take the music world by storm. We chat to Anand about his new single, his musical heroes, why it’s hard to balance life as a student and a singer!

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I have been interested in music since the age of 16 and this track is my second single with Jeeti Productions from Birmingham. I started learning from my Ustad Ajit Singh Mutlashi, he has taught a lot of artists such as Sukshinder Shinda and Jaz Dhami. That is where it all started.

What is it like learning from a renowned artist such as Ustad Ajit Singh Mutlashi?

It’s great, I got introduced to Ustaad-Ji through my Nana-Ji. He has taught some of the biggest names in the Bhangra industry so it’s good to have that kind of man behind me.

Can you tell us a bit about the track Rani?

It’s my second song and we wanted to give the audience a Bhangra song to show I can do Bhangra music. We are going to go into something different afterwards, I want to do maybe a slow song and experiment.

When was your first single Dil De De released?

It was released on the 6th of June in 2013.

That’s fantastic because within a year you released you were able to release your second song…

It would have been quicker but I am studying at the same time so it is difficult to balance everything. We tried our best and we are happy with this new song.

You have entered the entertainment industry at a young age, what has the journey been like so far?

It has been good, obviously it is early days at the moment so I have not really been through that much. The people I have met, shows I have had and interviews I have done have been really good. But there is a long, long way to go yet.

What is it like working with Jeeti?

It is really great because he is a well respected figure in the Bhangra industry and has a lot of contacts who are also supporting me as a new artist. I have good backing behind me.

At what age did you realise you wanted to sing?

I started learning at 16 as I was always into Bhangra and Indian music, at that age I felt I was mature enough to make my own decisions. I wanted to learn properly and go to the basics so I started learning classical and Raags and it just began like that.

Growing up, what kind of songs did you listen to that got you interested in Bhangra?

It’s probably Punjabi Bhangra music that got me interested and Bollywood, not the new Bollywood that’s really cheesy! The old Bollywood that had meaningful music.

Who did you listen to?

Sonu Nigam who is one of my favourites, Jazzy B and Sukshinder Shinda. They are the main ones, if I could I would love to work with them!

You said you are studying as well, does your singing ever interfere with your studies? Is it hard to find a balance?

There is a balance but it is difficult, because you have to give your full attention to university but I also have shows and interviews for example. But I am enjoying it so it is all good.

Are there any other genres of music that you have ever experimented with?

Just those that I mentioned really, the Punjabi that I am doing and classical.

Do you have support from your family?

They have always been supportive! They knew from a young age that I was going to get into music so it wasn’t really a shock to them. I didn’t just come up one day and say “right I want to do music!” They knew it was getting to the point that I wanted to start something so they have always been ok with it.

Have you done any shows or gigs lately?

I have had quite a few shows especially with the first single which was good experience. It helped me build my confidence, make new contacts and meet new artists. I am still a fan of these artists and all of a sudden I am performing with them, for example I was at A.S Kang’s launch party which I got into through MOVIEBOXrecordLABEL. It was a shock to be around A.S Kang, Sukshinder Shinda and Jazzy B. I have a couple of shows coming up with my new song.

We are going to see you on the TV screens now, will you be going onto Brit Asia TV?

The video is running on Brit Asia TV and I also have an interview on there in the future.

Where will your new song Rani be available?

It is available on all the leading platforms including iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. You can see it everywhere really as the video is on Youtube and of course BritAsia TV.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Well I want to carry on doing more music and I don’t just want to stick to Bhangra, I want to do more slow songs and maybe even Hindi songs. I just want to experiment and do different things. People have asked me before if I want to start singing in English but I don’t think I want to go that far.

Thank you for being with us today, all the best with your new track and we look forward to hearing more from you.

There will be a lot more to come, thank you!

Rani is available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play

Be sure to follow Anand at @ANANDBMUSIC