6 months back, Ryan Tedder experienced a fortuitous full-circle minute.
His long time buddy, Grammy-nominated songwriter and manufacturer Savan Kotecha, texted him about an artist he believed Tedder needs to understand: pioneering Punjabi artist Karan Aujla. “He sends me a link and I resembled, ‘Yeah, I currently understand who this guy is,'” remembers Tedder today, being in his West Hollywood home studio.
While carrying out with OneRepublic at the 2nd edition of Lollapalooza India in January 2024, Tedder was asking residents and the band’s promoter “who’s popping” in India. They all discussed Karan. “I went and listened to the music and I resembled, ‘Oh, this is very tight. This is various,'” he states, describing Punjabi as an Indian language that is becoming its own subgenre and proliferating both in your area and worldwide. At the time, Tedder psychologically bookmarked Karan and continued– up until Kotecha occurred and filled the space..
Kotecha presented Tedder to Karan’s buddy and manufacturer, Ikky, “which’s where the entire thing linked,” states Tedder. The 2 satisfied in L.A. and Ikky played Tedder in-progress tracks, consisting of one that was called “Dassde” at the time. “I resembled, ‘Oh, this is insane.’ I asked him what the expression indicated, and he stated it implies ‘inform me.’ I want all sessions went that fast.”.
” Before this cooperation, Ikky and I constantly utilized to discuss how we wished to do something out here with our music,” states Karan, 28, who is seated beside Tedder while on a fast journey to Los Angeles to shoot the tune’s video. “And after that he had actually discussed you guys were talking and I believed he was simply joking. Like, it’s not gon na take place. And after that I keep in mind being on trip Ikky sends me an outline and the very first thing I hear is [Ryan] singing. And after that it’s me leaping in with my Punjabi verse. And I resembled, ‘Oh shit, it’s a Punjabi-English track.’ I was so ecstatic at that point.”
Come Thursday, Feb. 27, their historical cooperation will lastly get here, marking both OneRepublic and Karan’s very first English-Punjabi cooperation. The tune’s video, starring Indian starlet Disha Patani, is out the exact same day.
” Often,” Karan continues, “we seem like we manifested doing this with you, Ryan.”
You 2 simply satisfied personally for the very first time– what brought you together?
Ryan: We were expected to shoot the video, [when we] had enough of an ended up variation[of the song] We simply returned from Asia– we remained in China and Vietnam and Japan and Korea, and we began in Bangkok for a couple of days. [Karan] covered his trip in India doing this huge offered out trip. And we were initially going to shoot the video in Little India, in Bangkok, and he got ill. It was completion of the trip. We punted therefore we recently shot it today.
Karan, you transferred to Canada in your late teenagers. When did you end up being conscious of OneRepublic as a music fan?
Karan: When I heard [hums “I Ain’t Worried”] Ikky informed me, since clearly I’m born in Punjab and I wasn’t knowledgeable about how the music exercised here. So, I concerned Canada, satisfied Ikky back thens however before this cooperation me and Ikky constantly utilized to discuss how we wished to do something out here with our music. However simply remaining in Canada, that’s how I heard there’s this band called OneRepublic.
It just took 6 months for this tune to get here from the time Savan linked you, Ryan, with Ikky. Inform me about that timeline.
Ryan: At First, we were racing: “Can we get it out in November, December?” I resembled, what are we believing? It’s Christmas. It’s a death trap, you’re gon na get smashed by Mariah [Carey], you’re gon na get smashed by Ariana [Grande], and simply all the other things. So then we punted to February, which I’m truly pleased about since we’re going to be back in Asia a number of times this year and India is going to belong to that. So the time is best and this is among those where it resembles, I didn’t anticipate to like a multilingual record as much as this. I have actually most likely listened to this demonstration more than anything, truthfully, since it simply feels great. And I believe we’re even speaking about doing an English language variation also. The majority of our fans do not speak Punjab.
Karan, why do you believe Punjabi music is up next and, thanks to OneRepublic, capturing on in the States?
Karan: I seem like individuals are more open now, even artists, to brand-new languages, dealing with individuals, developing originalities and it simply assists artists like me to bring what they have [to] the table. This is the time for artists like me to in fact experiment. My main point is I simply wish to make the very first Punjabi record that goes all over. My Spotify wasn’t like this constantly. It’s simply occurring over the last three-four years[of gradual growth] We can see it occurring in front of our eyes; if individuals desire it, why do not we simply serve them what they desire? Like, individuals in India desire English on Indian records. They like these cooperations. They like when I’m singing in Hindi or Punjabi and after that a verse in English comes. Even some rap artists from India are rapping in English and Hindi. Individuals are currently into it. And we simply require to do it more in a correct method.
Ryan: And among the primary factors Punjabi music has actually taken off, consisting of in cities and areas of India– since Punjabi is from the north– like Bombay, where 5 years back, no one understood what Punjabi music was …
Karan: They didn’t wish to hear it, truthfully.
Ryan: He’s the factor. Truthfully, he is among the primary factors that Punjabi music has actually taken off. He was the ideal individual at the correct time. Anybody who’s not taking notice of India or Southeast Asia today, on a cultural pointer, is asleep at the wheel.
Karan: Our very first thing was to in fact take Punjabi all over India. And now, a couple of tunes have actually exploded in India. And now this tune is for the States or any location where they do not care what language it remains in, it’s simply a great tune. Which’s all we’re attempting to do here, male, and ideally it’s going to work.
Ryan: Teach individuals some Punjabi too..
Karan: If Ryan comprehends it … it’s not that difficult. The other day we made some material for social networks and he’s speaking Punjabi with complete confidence. Ideally, in our next tune, I’ll be singing a verse in English and you’ll be singing a verse in Punjabi.
What are the crucial production aspects of a Punjabi tune?
Ryan: In this record there was a knowing curve for me. I have actually clearly heard Punjabi music and Hindi music, and musically there’s a great deal of resemblances in Punjabi and Hindi. The language is various, clearly. However you’re utilizing a tabla. There’s hand drums that are being utilized, a few of which exist in the States, a few of which do not. Among my preferred areas of the entire record Ikky did, which is a drum break in the bridge that’s simply a jam, it’s simply a dance minute. It’s so joyful and complete of life and it’s layers of tabla and Indian hand drums and Punjabi instruments. The only time I have actually ever utilized any of that was if I’m doing Timbaland design hip-hop things since he leaned heavy into East Indian and Punjabi instruments. It’s not a mandolin. It seems like a mandolin to us, however it’s essentially an Indian variation of a mandolin that’s a crucial element throughout the entire tune. We’re not utilizing a sitar or anything like that, it’s a little too shtick. And after that the cadence, it’s all swung. If you consider it, all their music is played by hand. So I utilized all live kicks when I did the drums. It’s strange to referral, however I was thinking about things from like, 10-12 years back. I didn’t desire it to feel too contemporary. I like Sabrina Carpenter, however we’re not making “Espresso.” It’s a various design. So I needed to lean into the cadence of what his verses were and Ikky assisted a lot since I resembled, “I’m not going to be the white moron that steps foot into a culture and abuses it.” It needs to be precise.
Karan: And the method you did it, it does not sound required. It is among my preferred tracks that I have actually ever dealt with..
Inform me about shooting the video together with the band.
Karan: It resembles a story of our show that’s [hopefully] occurring in the future, in India …
Ryan: That’s truly what it is.
Karan: It was 2 days [of filming] in a row. Sort of tiring, however we made a great deal of memories there. I’ll bear in mind that for the rest of my life.
Ryan: We remained in a Hollywood backlot, which was quite cool. I suggest, from my point of view, I resembled, this is a Bollywood video. There’s huge time aspects of Bollywood occurring on cam.
Karan: It’s a mix.
What are your wish for the tune and video once they get here?
Karan: Truthfully, this is simply the start and I’m simply pleased that we have this relationship now. I feel this huge sibling ambiance from Ryan and I understand if I require some assistance in the future …
Ryan: Simply text.
Next summertime, the objective is I wish to go [to India] and remain in a taxi cab or a Tuk Tuk and I wish to hear this playing someplace in the streets.
I have actually had things like this take place as soon as in a blue moon. Whatever occurred so easily therefore flawlessly, consisting of even now, the video getting cancelled and coming together and [getting] Disha who’s huge and simply squashed it. All of those things threaded the needle for a multicultural record like this, it’s so interesting. I understand individuals are going to like it.
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