Following on from our interview with KS Bhamrah we only thought it would be right to interview Sardara Gill who alongside KS Bhamrah is one of the true legends of UK Bhangra after their unparalleled sucess with Apna Sangeet.

Sardara has just released his new solo album titled 'Soho Road' on the Moviebox label.

 
You’ve just released your brand new solo album ‘Soho Road’ which features a few remakes; tell us a little about this album?

Sardara: I’ve been working on this album for almost a year, it features songs produced by five different producers and five different lyricists. I wanted to work with different people so that the album did not sound the same.

‘Soho Road’ was re-done because a lot of the youngsters today have only heard this track from their parent’s old records, so re-doing this song now was to give it a fresh look.

This album is for the younger and the older generation, it was important to me that this album catered for everyone.

 The production line up of the album is very impressive, we know Bhoota and Bally are family, how did you hook up with Aman Hayer?

Sardara:  Yes, that’s correct! I’ve known Bhoota and Bally since the day they were born. Aman Hayer and his father have been good friends of mine for a long time. I asked if he’d like to produce two songs on my album, and he was very happy to do so.  Aman Hayer is one of the best producers in the bhangra industry and he was a pleasure to work with.

 Who is B.S Productions on your album?

Sardara:  That’s for me to know and you to find out! Only joking, he is a close friend of mine.

 
Your good friend KS Bhamrah has also recently released his solo album, with a song titled GT Road which is a remake of Soho Road, did you both know you were making similar songs?

Sardara:  No, I did not know he was making the song ‘GT Road’, I wish him all the best with it because ‘Soho Road’ was a great hit for Apna Sangeet back in the 80’s.

Sardara:  Well, I did not want to finish Apna Sangeet, it was a decision made by K.S.Bhamrah, so unfortunately there will not be another Apna Sangeet album.  At least we have been lucky enough to of had 28 years together making great music.

 How would you compare your new album to Pure Magic 2?

Sardara:  Honestly, I think that this album is much better than Pure Magic 2, because on this album I’m working alongside many great producers and lyricists.

 Lyrically you and KS Bhamrah have always been regarded as one of the best lyricists out there, do you believe the quality of lyrics in today’s industry are lacking any real thought?

Sardara: For a start I’m not a lyricist, most of the Apna Sangeet songs were written by K.S.Bhamrah. I personally think there are a lot of good lyricists out there both in India and England. In 2007 there have been many hit albums which feature great lyricists such as Sukhshinder Shinda’s ‘Living the Dream’.

 Pure Magic is widely regarded as one of the great Bhangra albums, during this period Bhangra was thriving; do you feel the industry will ever see this amount of success?

Sardara:  Pure Magic and Jam to the Bhangra were great albums for me, and I agree back then the bhangra scene was thriving. I do think that even today there are many great bhangra artists out there who are very successful in what they do. In my opinion as long as we have great artists making great music the bhangra scene will stay a success.

   You appeared at Kings Of Kings back in March 2007 doing a live show as Apna Sangeet,  what is your stance on live music and will you be doing anymore live shows?

Sardara:  I’ve always enjoyed performing live and will continue to do so. My last performance in 2007 at a Christmas dinner and dance was a live show performance alongside Sukhshinder Shinda and Alaap.  In this year and the future I will continue to be a live artist with my original band members.

There are rumours that I’ve stopped performing live, I’d like to make it clear to everyone that I am a very big fan of live music and I would not like it any other way. However if people want to book me for a PA and I’m free then I will do so, just like many other artists out there, but my first priority has and always will be live.

 Do you see the live band making a come back anytime soon, or do you feel the demand to see such bands on a whole is simply not there any more?

Sardara:  If you make good music and produce hit songs then there will always be a demand for live bands.

 There seems to be a new wave of UK born vocalists coming through, what invaluable advice would you give to anyone thinking of coming into the industry?

Sardara:  A new artist coming into the industry should be committed and dedicated and make sure their Punjabi pronunciation is correct. Practice and learning from a good teacher is also vital. Listening to various artists is also important as you learn something new and different from each individual artist.

 
More recently we’ve seen a lot of MC’s releasing albums in the Bhangra industry, do think you think there is any room for MC’s in Bhangra?

 Sardara:  As long as its collaborating well with the bhangra music, then I guess there’s always room for different styles of music, as the old saying goes different strokes for different folks!

 
Ok now I’m going to give you a few words and you have to say the first thing that comes to mind!

 B21 – Fantastic Music Producers

Gurcharan Mall – The Greatest Dholi

Live Music – Simply the Best

 
Moviebox – Great company, Great people and Great to work with

 
Panjabi MC – Done very well in his productions

 
KS Bhamrah – Good Vocalist

Thanks for taking time out to conduct this interview! Any final words for your fans and the readers of SimplyBhangra.com?

 Sardara:  I am so thankful and blessed to have so many loyal fans in the UK and abroad and would like to say a big thank you to you all for your continuous support.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say that I have always put Apna Sangeet first and foremost before all other commitments, and I would like to state that I was never the first person out the band to carry out the first solo project or PA. I’ve always been dedicated to Apna Sangeet and I have never cancelled out on any group bookings. I would like to thank all the original Apna Sangeet members who still support me with my solo career. To all the Apna Sangeet fans out there I am truly sorry that Apna Sangeet are no longer together, the support shown by our fans over the years has been tremendous and Apna Sangeet would not of had the success it did without you all.

SimplyBhangra.com would like to thank Sardara Gill for taking time out for this interview, the album 'Soho Road' is out now in all good asian music shops in the UK & North America! 

Click Here For Album Info