India’s female hip-hop artist Hard Kaur has made quite a name for herself in Bollywood. Her latest track, ‘Bas Ek King’, on the Singh is Kinng album is burning up the charts, especially in the UK. She recently talked with Raj on Zee Radio UK and here are some highlights from the rockin’ interview.
First up was the question about how her journey from the UK to India has been: “Its kind of amazing and crazy at the same time. Like I didn’t ever think I would move to England and then I never thought I would actually ever move back to India, so its just like and Bombay out of all places. I’m really buzzing. Its just really really cool to be able to work with such great music composers and get so much love from my own country,” she said.
Then talk turned to how she got her Bollywood break: “I think Glassy, obviously, was a very very big anthem here. So I came here to do a few shows and I was meeting up with different people. So I met up with Shankar Madehavan, who actually told me like ‘I really like your music. Whenever your down next, please you know, lets hook up’. So I came down to India and I played him my album, which was Superwoman – before I actually took it to the labels and stuff. So he was like – he gave me such good advice. He was so nice. He was like ‘wow your rocking. It’s really really cool. I’d love to work with you sometime.'”
The next time Hard Kaur was in India for some gigs and to do a track for a campaign for HIV/AIDS and domestic violence against women, she ran into Sriram Raghavan, director of Jonny Gaddar, at the studio. “He was like, ‘you know I’ve seen you on TV and stuff I really like your style, love your attitude. Why don’t you do a song for my film?’ I was just like, wow, this is amazing. You know the fact to be able to work with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy [music directors of Jonny Gaddar] is a major deal for me anyways. I looked up to them so much and now I am working with them. It’s was just like a dream come true.”
She added, “India, I always say, should always thank Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. It’s because of them that I’m here and I’m doing so many tracks. You’re rocking to my music. Dancing to my tunes. So I think definitely Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is the one to thank for bringing me into Bollywood. I hooked up with tiger style with Pritam. So, Pritam did the remix to tiger style for Singh is Kinng. I’m full Bombay ya know.”
Raj asked: “How did Singh is Kinng come up for you?” “Because I sang the track and Pritam was like, you’re perfect for the song. And the funny thing is that it was one of the songs that wasn’t working on the album and it wasn’t really doing anything for them.” 
So they called her: “I came in because the track, pumped it up obviously. So then we did the remix. So it then became like one of the best songs on the album. Thank you Pritam.” About the track Raj said, “We love it here.” To that she replied, “Its a different track cause UK wise, I think my UK side is the reason why I’m kind of liking that more. In India, it always has to be hit hit where there’s dancing. This was kind of different. There is more Hard Kaur hip-hop, if you notice, and I kinda get to say different things then all about dancing. I get to say, ‘I hit you in the face. You better salute to the Kinng, the thing’, ya know.”
A few other tidbits she revealed is that she’s working on her new album and that it will be out in November. And though she has not yet met Akshay Kumar she may be going on tour with him.
Talk turned back to Singh is Kinng again and Raj said, “Of course, you are a Sikh yourself, do you really feel that close, that kind of bond with the film because it has got a very Punjabi feel to it? “Oh, of course. It is in my blood. I’m not gonna say that I’m politically or religious. I’m not like that but I’m proud to be Punjabi. I’m proud to be a Sikh, so of course, it feels good.”
Hard Kaur added, “It’s about bloody time they made a film like that because you know I’m sick of seeing characters of Singhs as just clowns & jokers in Bollywood films, you know. So now it’s the real deal.”
“I’m just so proud to be a part of Singh is Kinng!“
Be sure to check out Hard Kaur and the soundtrack to Singh is Kinng and then you can check out Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif dancin’ to the fab beats when the film opens on August 7th!
Quotes taken from an interview with Hard Kaur on Zee Radio UK
