Guru Randhawa`s album `Without Prejudice` is Punjabi, but pan-India

With a visual and sonic production quality that’s reminiscent of international pop numbers, Guru Randhawa’s latest album, Without Prejudice, he says, is telling of his evolution as a musician. He is certain that the Punjabi album that marks his first collaboration with Warner Music will not alienate any part of the Indian audience, because “it’s an Indian song, and will be consumed by everyone”. 

“The flow of my singing has changed, and so has the look that we are presenting. The lyrical contents of the songs are also universal, and this album marks my first attempt at creating a song with elements of Indian classical music,” he says of the nine-track album. 

With collaborations with international artistes like The Chainsmokers, Pitbull, and Jay Sean behind him, Randhawa has an understanding of the kind of music that must be created to appease a global audience. The “visibility” of Indian artistes on international turf, he says, has increased. “There are more opportunities now, and they know about the music scene here in India. They also [appreciate] that our artistes are ruling the world. We are at the Grammys and the Oscars,” he says, acknowledging that the genre of Punjabi music has been instrumental in bringing about this change. 

The genre, he says, has enjoyed the long-lasting love of music listeners due to its “ease of comprehension”. “Every Punjabi artiste feels the genre has been popularised because of them, but the truth is that regional music has always [held a place in people’s hearts]. Because we have also experimented a lot, we have found success. I couldn’t have made songs like Lahore or Suit suit if I was making them for films. They were successful because of the independence I enjoyed while creating them.”