Jaz Dhami, of High Heels fame, recently released his single Zulfa. He told Iknoor Kaur why he likes to record songs that highlight his vocals
For any Indian who was born and brought up in UK, English would be a preferred language by default. However, in case of Jaswinder Singh Dhami aka Jaz Dhami, things didn’t go as predicted, leaving many amazed. Today, he is one of the bestselling Punjabi singers in the world known for his hit number High Heels and recently released single, Zulfa. “It would’ve been probably easier for me if I was to sing in English because my first language is that. But I’m passionate about Punjabi and the traditions of Punjab and India as a whole. I wanted to be known as a British Punjabi artiste who represents not only Punjabi but Indian music in the UK,” said the singer who grew under the tutelage of his father who was a member of 80’s Bhangra group, Sangam and Ustad Ajit Singh Mutlashi in Birmingham, England.
Jaz was nine-year-old when he first started singing. He shared, “My father had a passion for music and always wanted me to become a singer. So I started training in Indian classical music there itself. Once I passed school I came to India and studied Indian classical music at Punjab University. It has been quite a long journey because it hasn’t just happened overnight. The credit for the global reputation that I enjoy goes to 15 years of hard work.”
Jaz’ single Zulfa features in an album called Now That’s What I Call Desi which is a compilation of the best Punjabi songs of 2012. “It features artistes like Yo Yo Honey Singh, Dr Zeus, Apache Indian and Bally Sagoo,” he added.
The singer recently shot to fame after his collaboration with Yo Yo Honey Singh in High Heels. It even won him a couple of awards. However, he said that even though the song holds a special place in his heart, it doesn’t define him. He elaborated, “High Heels is upbeat and people haven’t heard my voice in that. My strength is my vocals.” Thus, he feels that Zulfa can work as a defining factor for him. “I recorded this song even before I recorded High Heels but the release got delayed. In the song, I’m talking about how a girl has got me hooked on her,” he explained.
At present Jaz is working towards taking out his new full feature album. “It will have 10 tracks by me. I’m also working with a Hollywood rapper French Montana. That is a big project pending for this year,” he summed up.