In 2003, Rishi Rich Project comprising Juggy D, Jay Sean and Rishi Rich rocked the music scenario with their track Tere Naal Nachna and now they are back with Freak. Juggy D tells Rupinder Kaur why it took them so long to come together and how their music has evolved
It’s been around 12 years since your epic single Tere Naal Nachna was released and it also transformed the Asian underground music scene. What took you guys so long to come togetherIJ
Things went crazy for us. We stayed together for like four-five years and toured the world. Then we carried on with our solo projects. We were trying to get together in the studio but with everyone’s crazy schedule, things were a little difficult. Everyone had their commitments and then came a point when we said that we need to prioritise it and wanted to make this happen. That’s what we did in the last couple of months. We got back in the studio and now we have Freak out.
What is Freak aboutIJ
It’s out now and has been released by Universal Music. The song is a very cool club track featuring Jay Sean with his suave R&B vocals and there is, of course, the Punjabi flavour to give it an urban Indian touch. It is a great collaboration and the three of us worked so well together. Rishi is amazing on the production.
This is a single and we have a few other tracks that we’ve already started working on. We just wanted to release the initial track because it’s been so long and people, kept on badgering us for something new from us. In the UK, it is currently at number 52 in the mainstream chart and it was already number one in the world chart within hours of its release. I’m sure it’s going to be great for us in India.
How has the sound changed over the yearsIJ
It’s been 10 years so there has been a lot of change. The three of us have matured a lot with regard to our music. We are very close like family so the chemistry we share in the studio is amazing even though it’s been so long. I’m sure people would relate to the next thing I say that you might not see your family members for years but when you see them, you can pick up from where exactly you left off from. Everytime we step into the studio, it’s a very special moment for us.
Your individual sounds have evolved. Were there any creative differences while you were in the studioIJ
No. This is another nice thing that we guys have. When we work, there are no egos involved. We work together to bring out the best in each other. We all have different ideas and everyone is open to what the other has in mind. Even if it is not the right idea, we’ll try it and if it doesn’t work out then we drop it. Plus we have fun which is most important in music.
Would a music video follow soon for FreakIJ
Absolutely, yes. The teaser was out over the weekend. It’s in its final stages. We’ve all seen the video and we are very happy with it. The fans will love it since it’s truly for them. It reflects on our career — what we’ve been through and what we’ve done musically. It’s us being ourselves and is a fun, family-oriented video.
Any Bollywood plansIJ
We have many friends in Bollywood. There was a lot of stuff that we were talking about doing but we ourselves didn’t want to do much until we released something. We wanted to come back first before we did anything else. And now since we’ve done that, we’re open to it and there are some projects that we are in talks with at the moment. Hopefully we’ll get back on the movie scene.
What do you feel about the current music scenarioIJ
There was a time 10-15 years ago when people used to look at the UK and see what’s happening there. Now, that has changed. India is so up to date with regard to music. There are some great producers out there. I’m excited about the Bollywood music scene at the moment, and we can’t wait to be a part of it again.
Tell us something about your ongoing projects.
I have a song with DJ Shadow from Dubai. Rishi has an album which is almost finished and Jay, too, has some projects coming out. We might drop another track around Christmas. I’ve recorded a five song EP with Rishi Rich which will be out early next year.