He’s burst onto the scene with a bright spark, but little did he know, I’ve been a fan since the first time I heard Proper Patola! It’s a common known fact that I have a love for all things rapper and hip hop, like Yo Yo Honey Singh. The Indian music scene is evolving everyday and giving way to new artists and rappers. Badshah definitely holds his own against all the new artists and is here to stay. Hear it in his own words:
Team MissMalini‘s yours truly had a one-on-one chat with the rising star on living life like a Badshah and his latest work!
Team MissMalini: You said in an interview that you call yourself Badshah because you love Shah Rukh Khan and you live like one. What do you mean when you say you live like a Badshah?
Badshah: This name has many reasons. Partly, it’s because I’m a big Shah Rukh Khan fan and partly because I live like a Badshah. *laughs* It’s just about doing what I want to do, what I feel like doing, and not what I’m told to.
Team MissMalini: What is some music your audience would be surprised to know you listen to? What is the diverse kind of music you listen to?
Badshah: I listen to a lot of Coldplay, The Weeknd, and R’n’b from back in the ’90s. I listen to a lot of soft rock too.
Team MissMalini: What are you currently working on and any interesting names you’re collaborating with anytime soon?
Badshah: I am currently working on a lot of music. Filmy and non-filmy both. I’m even making some bootleg remixes. I don’t know who I’ll be collaborating with, honestly. I think most of my stuff is going to be solo.
Team MissMalini: What inspires you to make the music you do? Do you think life inspires art or the other way round?
Badshah: The kick of making an amazing song and then listening to it, and then making your friends listen to it is amazing. That’s how it all started for me. I used to make whatever I used to make and then made my friends and cousins listen to it. I think the relationship between art and life is very mutual. I think both are inter-inspirational. Whatever I write is mostly derived from society. I was always passionate about music, and when I say always, I mean always. Although, I never really thought of pursuing music professionally, it just happened. I make music purely for the love of it.
Team MissMalini: What are your views on censorship in India with rap songs, movies, and in general?
Badshah: I think all of us can do away with a heightened sense of humour. We need to be more open minded to lyrics considering half of the world’s population is so comfortable with that kind of stuff. If the youth bandwagon forms the majority of our listener base, there’s definitely something that speaks of a trend that is currently prevalent amidst the masses. Anything controversial sells and that’s the golden rule. I feel the greater the curb, the more the demand. People no longer want to just listen to acoustic numbers. People want to get out there and listen to something that can give them a break from their 5 to 7 mundane lifestyle.
Team MissMalini: I love Proper Patola and Saturday Saturday… probably because they’re some of your best known tracks, but do you want to be known for a different kind of music? What kind of genres are you looking to explore?
Badshah: I am happy with what I am doing right now. That’s why I’m doing it. I’d love to do something in the space of Coldplay and Linkin Park, maybe. It gives me an opportunity to experiment with my work. I might sound clichéd here, but the culture has changed and is constantly changing. People love what they can relate to. And fortunately or unfortunately, the audience that my music caters to is very diverse. I can make a Saturday Saturday, I can make a Proper Patola and I can even make an absolutely traditional song like Veet Baljit‘s Reel. Not everyone loved Proper Patola, not everyone loved Reel, but they’re still loved by a lot of people. The point is: everyone has their own perspective, their own way of looking at things. I’m just an artist who observes a lot and then I put my observations into music. People who relate to it, love it; people who don’t, listen to other artists. It’s simple.
Wow, I was definitely impressed with this rapper and we wish him all the best on his upcoming tours, music, and album! Anyone here a Badshah fan? Give him a shout out!