We caught up with singer, writer and producer, Foji, at a summer
mela and got the opportunity to speak to him about his love of
music and his debut album, Dafa Hoja, which has taken the bhangra
scene by storm. Originally born in Coventry, you learned your
trade, dancing with Nachda Sansaar for 10 years and later on with
the group, performing the vocals and boliyaan.
How has the passion for music grown over the years, was it
instilled in you from a young age?
As a kid I was always tapping and singing and it grew more and
more. I used to dance a lot and it was nice to join a Bhangra
group.
You put a lot of fun and comical acting into your music
videos, is that a conscious decision to stay away from the glitz
and the glamour in atypical bhangra videos?
I think there is too much fake bling out there and I will endeavour
to keep it real and well, have a laugh at the same time. Coming up
with unusual concepts will be how we approach videos from here on
in – for example the bullring flash-mob came about from seeing
flash mob videos on youtube and we wanted to create a Bhangra spin
on it.
Speaking of artists, are you inspired by any, or had any
major influences from, growing up?
I was a big fan of Gurdas Man as a kid, growing up I listened
Kuldip Manak, Sulinder Kaur, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, but different
Western genres also. Each song on the album is inspired by an
artist or style of one, with certain nuances adopted on each
track.
With a voice that is quite strong and projects very well,
is that something you have had to work a lot on backstage, in
particular, the vocal training from Soni Atwal, Dawn and Surinder
Khan?
They put into perspective how to project your voice, making you
realise where it comes from and how to use it best.
You're at ease performing in front of a crowd, do you still
feel nervous?
You always get a tingle at first, but once I am on stage, it all
disappears and I am in my own world, lost in the music. That
interaction with the crowd comes natural to me I guess, getting the
people involved makes the difference.
Are there any performers you would like to collaborate with
in future?
think would be great to work with.
Speaking of future tracks and videos, is there anything the
pipeline coming up?
Yeah, we are working on the next album. There is a duet called
Mintaan with Gurlej Akhtar – another dancy kind of song.
Looking at the cover of Dafa Hoja, the lenticular card and
dual images with both the western and eastern look, was that a
statement you wanted to make?
I love what I am doing, I am Punjabi and the whole pag (turban) and
dhari (beard) is a character thing - to show people different sides
of me. I love flipping my style and look too suit the song or music
video I am performing in. East does meet West but I'd like to think
I am still rooted, proud of my culture and heritage.
www.foji.co.uk
Interview and photographs by Nardip Singh
As featured in Unfolded Magazine Issue 04