Jazzy B

In 1993 I remember hearing a song on the radio that instantly said something to me. It spoke to me, telling me this is what real Bhangra sounds like. I chased up the track in question and was presented with a tape (oh yes , tapes back then) of this little kid with outrages hair and clothes that seemed 2 sizes to big for him. I laughed and protested that there was no way the track I heard was on that album. I started to walk out of the shop when the shopkeeper placed the tape into the tape recorder and pressed play. Sure enough , in a matter of seconds, this blistering tune was ripping through my ears again. I learnt 2 valuable lessons that day. Never judge an album by it’s cover. And never judge a man’s talents by his hairdo.

Of course the fact that the little kid on the cover was Jazzy B was lost on me back then. It was the beginning of a whirlwind journey for him which has, over the years, taken Jazzy B’s voice all around the world and back. His distinctive and unmistakable voice has sailed into the hearts of so many people from around the globe, it‘s almost untrue. From 1993’s ‘Gugian Da Jorra’ to the now classic ‘Naag’, success seems to follow this man wherever he goes. He is about to embark on another mission, this time alongside the highly respected music producer ‘Ravi Bal’. (The man behind hits such as ‘Malkits Singh‘s Midas Touch’ and the explosive ‘Captain Bhangre Da’ by Daljit Mattu). The two of them have teamed up to give us the monster tune that everybody seems to be talking about, ‘Kaun Nachdi’. To find out more about this track and Jazzy B, I recently met with the ‘Crown Prince Of Bhangra’ himself , Jazzy B.

(Jazzy B) Well, I’ve known Ravi for a long time, I’m talking about from back in the 90s. That’s when we first hooked up in Canada. We just got busy with our own things, I went my way , Ravi got busy producing with other artists. But we never lost contact and always used to say we got to work together one day. I’m really glad that day has finally come. From there Harvey and the rest got involved. I’ve been lucky I’ve been in the industry for a long time, ten years or so. I’ve always had a very desi style which has got me loads of fans. And Ravi Bal is a really talented producer. He has produced some of the biggest hits to date. So, it’s all good. I think this is the right time to try the mainstream thing. It’s all about Ravi Bal man!

(Kam) Do you see this track as your breakthrough into the mainstream then?

(Jazzy B) We do actually, yes. That’s why we are doing this single. But I never get too excited. I have never liked to get too excited about any of my songs, until I can see the response for myself. So, yeah we are hoping to hit the mainstream but if not, my desi fans are always there and I’m sure they will take it to another level for me. That is who I work for, my fans.

(Kam) So what do you expect or hope for from this track? Top 10? Top 5?

(Jazzy B) Hey man, I always aim for number one! Every time! But lets just see how well it does.

(Kam) I’m sure it will do great. Like you said you have been in the music business a long time now. Tell us how did it all start? If you can remember that far back I mean!

(jazzy B) Man, I feel old, your making me feel old! Ha-ha! Nah, seriously ever since I was a kid I loved Music. Every kid has a dream. I was never shy about mine. Mine was to Sing. My parents used to say to me, “Jasvinder sing a song for us.” I remember I used to get up on the table and pretend it was my own special stage and just start to sing. I was never shy about it. I mean there could be about twenty people in the room and it never used to bother me. As I was growing up I used to hang out with my brother and his mates. My brother plays kabadi so all his friends are very ‘desi’. We used to go on holidays to California and places like that. We all used to sing on the way. Some of these trips used to be fifteen or sixteen hours away, but I loved every minute of it. The first time I got a break was when I met Sukhsinder Shinda. Back in 92. That’s the first time I met him. I remember we were at a mehfil and everyone just sitting in a circle singing. He said to me “Your turn”. Without thinking I just started singing a song by ‘Kuldeep Manak’ which was ‘Maa Hundi Aa Maa’. He was like “yeah man you got a good voice, we should do something together one day.”. But I never really thought I would be a Professional singer, even though I loved singing.

(Kam) You mentioned Kuldeep Manak there. Obviously he has been a strong influence in your career. How much do you look up to him?

(Jazzy b) Man, he has been THE biggest inspiration for me in my career. I’ve seen all his videos, I’ve seen him live, I‘ve got all his CDs. My uncle in India used to play his songs all day when I was growing up, so I used to know all his songs at a very early age. He was my biggest idol, still is. I used to say that when I grew up I wanted to be just like him. What can I say? I even remember the first time I talked to him on the phone in India. One of my friends in Canada knew him so we called him up. A lot of singers are like you know, whatever, and won’t talk to you. But this guy just came on the phone and said “ Work hard boy. I’m with you. Make sure you work as hard as you can.” Those words might just be words to some people but they meant the world to me. Like I said he is still my idol and always will be.

(Kam) Apart from Kuldeep Manak, have you got any other favourite singers?

(Jazzy B) Yeah I like to listen to a lot of singers. I listen to a lot of ‘Durga Rangeela’. Also ‘Nachatar Gill' I like my desi tunes man! But I also listen to a lot of rap music too. A lot of hip hop. Easy - E. He’s the original.

(Kam) What do you think is the reason for your success? Why do you think you have been around the music industry for so long? I mean we see a lot of singers come and go.

(Jazzy B) Yeah I know. I mean when I started out, a lot of people used to think I was going to be a one hit wonder, like Vanilla Ice, you know what I’m saying? But I took one step at a time. Before I even recorded my album we had our own group and used to sing at weddings and parties so we were fairly well known in Canada, even before the album even came out. I stuck to my originality. I never try to copy anyone. Kuldeep Manak, for sure was a big inspiration for me and when I was younger I used to imitate him , but as I was growing up I realised I had my own voice and style. So I didn’t totally try to copy him. I think that’s the problem nowadays. I see it myself, a lot of people try to copy my moves and the gold tooth and everything, but you can’t do that. Everybody follows someone. That is only natural. But there comes a point where you need to have your own identity. I mean when I came over here people used to say “Change your hairstyle” and things like ‘”Why don’t you be normal?” My answer to that is if I was ‘normal’ I wouldn’t be sitting here today.

(Kam) You exploded on to the scene with ‘Gugian Da Jora’. And your right a big deal was made about your image. Did you use that to your advantage?

(Kam) You exploded on to the scene with ‘Gugian Da Jora’. And your right a big deal was made about your image. Did you use that to your advantage?

(Jazzy B) Oh yeah. I have always believed in myself. I didn’t get that image because of singing, that’s how I was in school. If there was a hundred people standing there you could definitely spot me. It was a style I had. Believe it or not people actually used to copy me and my image. Some people used to say ‘Oh look at that guy, he’s weird. Look at his hair!” But it was a look I was comfortable with. Why should I change who I am for other people? I remember the first time I went to India. Can you imagine that? I went to this mela, there must have been like sixty, seventy thousand people there. I walked through the crowd and everyone just turned around, people were saying “ Ee kaun ya?” and things like that. And when I got on the stage and sang, people were just blown away by it. And that’s it. Boom, next day everyone knew who Jazzy B was. So yeah, my image has helped me. People used to look at me and think that I wouldn’t be able to speak Panjabi let alone sing in it. But I was coming out with really desi stuff, which surprised them.

Kam) What was your parents reaction to all this? Your dream to be a singer.

(Jazzy B) They weren’t too excited actually. I belong to a Jatt family and they used to think it’s a low grade kind of thing. I’m talking back in the days, about a decade ago. They were just like any other family and used to tell me to “Get a proper Job” or do “ A Jatt Da Kam.” you know things like that.

Find out what Jazzy B thinks of Uk Singers, Who gave him his real big break, and what happened to Bhinda Jatt in part 2!