Switching Tracks

Ricky tells us that he always wanted to become a singer. “Ever since I was eleven,” he recalls. He goes back in time and talks about how he would make up stories of visiting temples to his parents and instead land in Amritsar to watch the late Master Baldev Singh’s performance. “I knew I had to learn the art and so I trained under Shyam Sajan,Baljit Thakur and Sukhwinder,” says Ricky,as he moves on to talk about his first Hindi song Ehmiat,which released in the UK. “It earned me a lot of appreciation and motivated me to compose my first album,” says Ricky.

The album comprises eight Punjabi songs. The lyrics are by Nima Gurwali,Baljit Bhaulawala and Sukhdev Dhaulawalan and music is by Sukhjinder,Sukhwinder’s brother. “I have chosen the language because it has a universal appeal. I am from Jammu,but Punjabi is appreciated there too,” he says. The shooting of the video of the title song for his new album took place in Naldehra,Kota and Manali.

Apart from theatre,he has also acted in serials like Astitva,Chacha Choudhary,Talaq Kyun,Piya Ka Ghar,Kittu Sab Janti Hai,Return of Ghalib and Baiteeyan,along with films like Ek Rishta,Stop and Pehchan. “I am also working in a

Hollywood movie The Pin,which will release this year,” says Ricky. Next in the line is another Punjabi album,which will release by the end of the year.