Folk Notes

Punjab,to release his first solo Punjabi album,Folk Star.

While he has been collaborating with various artists on other albums,the singer states that Folk Star marks a new beginning as it has propelled him towards music in a professional manner. “Music for me has been shaukiya (for fun),for my own satisfaction,” says the 48-year-old,who is still pursuing a day job in Derby,England.

Produced by Indya Records,Folk Star has elements of bhangra and traditional dhaadi music. “When I left Punjab,I felt like an alien in UK,and now,when I come here,I feel like a foreigner in my own home. Punjab has changed and the people have changed,they have moved on. I made this album to take me to the Punjab I left and hence there is an old-fashioned treatment to it. I was told that such music doesn’t work,but here I am,making it work,keeping my Punjab alive,” says Johal,adding how with the launch of his album,he has “arrived”,and his weekends are jam-packed with performances. “I never thought I would make it to the great Punjabi league of singers,that too at 48,” smiles the artiste,who is in his heart is still a simple village lad,who is not very educated but is earnest enough to follow his dreams. There are times when he drifts back to his village Jandiali Manjki,ten kilometers from Jalandhar,Punjab,to his farms,where he would laze around with his friends and cattle near the village pond,under the cool shade of the banyan tree. “I was never serious and took whatever came my way,” says Johal,thankful for the gift of voice.

Brought up during the golden era of Punjabi folk music,Johal takes inspiration from the likes of Kuldip Manak,Surinder Shinda,Mohd Saddiq,Lal Chand Yamla Jatt,Ranjit Kaur,Narinder Biba and Dilshaad Akhtar. However,he credits the Derby-based group Tru Skool for his success,as the group introduced him to the music circuit with the critically acclaimed album Word Is Born. Later,Johal teamed up with Panjabi MC for The Land of Five Rivers. The single was used by WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) as the theme tune for the Punjabi wrestling superstar ‘The Great Khali’. “It was Sukhjit Singh Olk of Tru Skool who taught me the nuances of singing and performing. The members of the band are much younger to me,but Olk and his group are keeping the real Punjabi music alive in

England,” says Johal,also known for his lead single Johal Boliyan,Sun Baliyeh and Gobindhiye,which topped the BBC Asian Music Charts.