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Rabbi Returns: Rabbi Shergill Releases New Album - "III"

by SOMYA LAKHANI

 

 

 

In 2004, a young Sikh gentleman, Rabbi Shergill, dressed in a plain kurta with a guitar hanging by his shoulder and words of Sufi saints pouring out of his mouth, took music lovers by surprise.

Shergill’s music was rock, his playing of the guitar was smooth and nuanced, the lyrics were in Punjabi and his voice was soothing and stirring. The song that made the singer a nationwide sensation was Bulla ki jaana, based on a poem by the 18th century Sufi mystic, Bulleh Shah. It was a part of Shergill’s 2004 debut album, Rabbi.

Now, in 2012, and two albums later (the second one, Avengi Ja Nahin, launched in 2008), Shergill is slowly getting back into the limelight with a new nine-song album, III (Universal Music), after a gap of four years.

“The album was ready two years ago but I spent time looking for a suitable music label to release it. The mood in the music industry has been very anti-independent music,” he says. After releasing III at Mumbai’s Hard Rock Cafe on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, and in Delhi last night (March 16), the Sufi-rock-pop singer is now ready to shoot the music videos in Rishikesh.

The album stays true to Shergill’s style and soul; just like his two previous albums, this too is a reflection of issues that are close to his heart. The first track, Ganga, for instance, refers to the river as an embodiment of womanhood. “The lyrics - tu naahwe meri ganga ich / tu naahwe meri jamuna ich - tell the woman to swim in the river and reclaim freedom,” he explains.

Another interesting number is Cabaret Weimar that equates the irony of the Germany of 1920s with that of India in 2012 - cultural explosion coupled with political passivity. He has collaborated with Miami-based rapper J Nu for this song.

Aadhi kranti is about how after the 2009 Mumbai attacks, there was supposed to be a momentous revolution but it fizzled out and became a half-revolution.

For the track Tu hi, Shergill has got opera singer Christine Matovich on board.

However, it’s the last song of the album - Eho hamara jeevna - which defines Shergill, the rebel.

“The song is about how I am incapable of compliance and just have to rebel,” he adds.

In 2007, Shergill stepped into Bollywood and composed music for Jimmy Shergill-starrer Delhii Heights, but he never picked up another film project after that. “I wake up in the morning with the thought that I have to do some great live acts. Bollywood doesn’t fit into this as of now,” he says.

 

[Courtsy: Indian Express]

March 17, 2012

 

 

Conversation about this article

1: Harmeet Singh (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.), March 17, 2012, 10:53 AM.

What is the origin of his first name, "Rabbi"? [EDITOR: Rabbi Shergill's 'legal' name is Gurpreet Singh. "Rabbi" is therefore a stage name that he goes by. "Rabbi" derives from the Punjabi use of the word "Rabb" for God. "Rabbi" in Punjabi therefore refers to one who belongs to God. The Jewish use of the word to denote their 'priests' has a similar root.]

2: Harinder (Uttar Pradesh, India), March 17, 2012, 2:52 PM.

He is our Led Zeppelin.

3: Angad Singh  (Singapore), March 19, 2012, 12:09 AM.

The description of his name above is correct.

4: Sukhindarpal Singh (Penang, Malaysia), March 19, 2012, 6:04 AM.

My little princesses can already sing all his songs, especially "Pugrgri Sambhaal Jutta". They have been waitng for this new album and I am sure they are going to love it. Thank you, Rabbi, for the rocking music and wonderful lyrics. Keep at it!

5: Kunal Kubal (Mumbai, India), June 02, 2012, 4:21 AM.

He is truly a maestro ...

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