If you are a fan of Punjabi hip-hop, you are in for a treat! ‘Miqesi’ by singer, songwriter, and composer Anuj B, just dropped but is already getting loads of attention. Anuj has been performing live since 2011, and the biggest feather in his cap was his performance at the Supreme Court of India in 2018. After many years in the business, he has released his eighth single, Miqesi. When asked about the inspiration behind this song, he says, “In today’s evolving world of relationships where true love and care seem to have lost their meaning, this song symbolises what happens to the heart of an honest artist who observes the increasing drug culture, one-night-stands, and hardcore party lifestyle around him, but remains unfazed, because his meaningful connections matter more to him, as well as the attraction he feels for one special person.”
Born and raised in Jalandhar, Punjab, Anuj graduated with a B.Tech from Lovely Professional University (LPU). Though he was studying engineering, he felt drawn to music. He used to sing from a young age in school, but he also started writing lyrics and composing music around the year 2011. He claims his biggest strength is his versatility in music. “There have been many inspirations for me, but KK is the one whose singing style has touched me the most,” he shares with candour. Apart from his musical training and background, the reason he ventured into making music was incidental. He shares the story with a smile, “I am blessed in a way that when I was nine years old, my father was learning the basics of music and I was fascinated and started learning from him too. This is how I began my musical journey from such a young age. Then, in the year 2011, I learnt how to play the guitar for six months from Vikram Biswa Sir, who is an amazing teacher, and later in 2014, I took musical classes for a year from Parth Sen Sir and learnt Hindustani classical ragas to hone my craft further. I feel my active involvement in making music was meant to be and when it happened, I felt spiritually connected.
Oncoming to the subject at hand, Anuj shares the interesting story behind the evolution of the song Miqesi. He says, “One day I happened to share my thoughts about an artist not being affected by the crazy temptations of an artist’s life, with Parvish. He too felt inspired by the story I wanted to narrate, and immediately went to the drawing board. Soon, he sent me a scratch of the song, which I loved. It kind of clicked instantly, and that’s how we started working on Miqesi. Whenever I work on a song, I always learn something new, and recording Miqesi taught me a variety of musical nuances. This is why I believe it was a unique and amazing experience to create it. It is never an easy task to break into an industry as competitive as the music one. Yet, Anuj has an interesting take when asked about the challenges he has faced. He asserts that the internet and social media have come as a boon to all budding and independent artists like him, and he uses these mediums readily to reach out to all the musical lovers across India and the world. The video accompanying the song has received many views as well. Anuj especially enjoyed the experience of making it. The concept of the video is the brainchild of Reo Gill, who visualised everything. Owing to its unique concept, however, Anuj felt that shooting the song was very exhausting, as it required numerous takes to be perfect. Yet, in the end, the entire team had a great time together. Next, he is working on a couple of new songs. Also in the pipeline is the release of songs that he created earlier but which needed some tweaking. He signs off by saying, “My motto in life has always been to be a learner throughout—learning music, enjoying music, creating music, and making the audience happy, and I will always strive to do this.”
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog, www.nooranandchawla.com.