Fresh from releasing his solo single 'Gut Nagni' - We caught up with vocalist an En Karma vocalist 'Inder Kooner' for this interview!

Let’s get straight into the deep end, ‘Gut Nagni’ is your new single with Popsy (The Music Machine) – Talk us how you hooked up with Popsy and how this song came about?

This song is a dream come true for me. I’ve been a big fan of Popsy since I heard his album “Bangin” back in 2005. So when he approached me and said we should do something together, I jumped at the opportunity and showed him Gut Nagni which I had got from Jasbir Gunachauria. He liked the lyrics and composition of the track so we got strait to work.

To many you’re now the iconic voice behind the new-age Bhangra band En Karma, is the band still continuing to work on new material?

Yes! We’re just putting the finishing touches on the album and shooting the videos at the moment. We’re taking some extra time on this album cause we’re making sure it sounds bigger and better than our debut album.

How do you see your solo career progressing, is there a solo Inder Kooner album in the pipeline?

Along with our En Karma album, I am working hard on my solo career. I’ve done a few features on some albums and some that are still coming out. But I think it’s time I start focusing on my own solo album as well. So yes, you will see a Inder Kooner solo album in the near future.

In terms of the Canadian scene, how has it progressed over the years? Do you still look at the UK as the hub of international Bhangra?

The Canadian scene has come along way in my view. We have a lot more opportunities to show case our music with the festivals and Asian radio stations as well. But with that being said, I think we are still way behind compared to the UK. Canada is a good place for Bhangra music but if you want to take it to the next level, you have to look at the UK or India.

We’ve seen a number of talented Canadian artists break through since En Karma such as Randy J & Deep Jandu, do you still feel there’s more potential from the scene to cross over internationally?

Yes, there’s a lot of great artist here in Canada and the US. I know a few of them are working hard and getting their albums ready so defiantly watch out for some top music coming out of Canada real soon.

You’ve worked with Immortal Productions on ‘Once We Were Kings’ and ‘Jago’ – Have you got similar material lined up in the future?

I’m always looking forward to working on religious songs and it’s always been something close to my heart. My goal is to at least do one or more religious songs every year. Immortal Productions have always supported and we’ve recorded a new track for the upcoming release this Vaisakhi as well, so look out for that.

Who where your favourite artists that first got you into music?

Growing up a listened to everyone. But some artist that I really enjoyed and still do till this day are Chamkila, Manmohan Waris, Jazzy B, Sardool Sikander, Bhindrakhia and I’m sure like everyone else the King Kuldip Manak.

Can you let us in on any exciting future collaborations you have coming down the line?

I can’t really say who I’m going to be collaborating with just yet, but what I can say is that I’m really excited about it and it’s going to be some big ones! So keep a lookout.

What have you been playing for the past few months in your car/phone/studio from the Panjabi music scene?

Like I said before, I still listen to everyone. I’m always interested in new music that comes out but you’ll see a lot of old school music on my iPod as well.

One word answers to the following terms;

Live Music: Awesome

Surrey BC: Desi

Piracy: Sad

Birmingham: Soho Rd

SimplyBhangra.com: Excellent

Thanks for taking time out, any final words for the worldwide readers of SimplyBhangra.com?

Just want to thank everyone for the on-going love and support, and Simply Bhangra for the support as well. We got a lot more music for you guys coming out soon so stay tuned! You can follow me on twitter @InderKooner and on facebook/inderkoonermusic. Once again thank you and god bless.