In this fun interview, Raashi Sood talks about her song, Kinni Kinni Vaari that features six women from different walks of life including Krishan Shroff, Nagma Mirajkar and Jannat Zubair.
Raashi Sood is an upcoming indie artist from Punjab who has a soulful voice. In addition to being a singer, she's also a lyricist and a composer too. Her major work is in the Punjab music industry and she's known for her popular music video titled Jeen Di Gal female version which was released in 2014. Her recent release Kinni Kinni Vaari was created by her in collaboration with UpsideDown, ICONYK, and brought out by Big Bang Music. The song represents the voice of every resilient and powerful woman. It's an ode to all the fierce women who may go through heartbreaks in multiple instances. And the video embodies breaking the mold and saying, “Kinni Kinni Vaari?”, conveying ‘heartbreaks are universal but we rise above it”.
The music video sees some powerful talent including Krishna Shroff AKA Kishu, Jannat Zubair, Jamie Lever, Nagma Mirajkar, Raj Shokher, and Tanvi Geetha Ravishankar, grooving to the beats of the track and caption it #NotYourBabe. Redefining the essence of self-expression for women and showcasing a larger message of encouraging women to come out of a heartbreak stronger and take on the world, the music video streams on Big Bang Music’s YouTube channel.
We had a chance to talk to the singer, Raashi Sood and here's what she had to say about this song and much more!
Can you tell us about your song “Kinni Kinni Vaari” and how it all came together?
Kinni Kinni Vaari is a pandemic jam that we created at my home studio with people in different time zones, and that’s the most amazing part of it. ICONYK was in New Delhi, I was in Punjab, and UpsideDown were in LA when we made the song. We wanted to do something that talked about the feelings of women rather than what's already out there in the industry that talks about how men feel about women. We wanted to do something different and that’s what we did with Kinni Kinni Vaari and it was pretty fun while making the song.
Do you have a favorite verse from the song and why?
I actually do have my favorite lines. I've done this melodic rap in the song which says “Hun kar na late, kar na late ussi toh likhna apna fate.” These are my favorite lines from the song which mean that you shouldn’t wait for anybody because you are the one who's writing your own destiny. And this is the intention behind this song as well. The song became huge as far as women and empowerment are concerned. We made it a women's anthem and that’s what we wanted to do, so, ussi toh likhna apna fate (we write our own destiny)!
How did you feel about the collaboration with UpsideDown and ICONYK and working with BigBang Music? And do you think collaborations are the future for the music industry?
It was like a godsend for me because it was a great opportunity to work with UpsideDown and ICONYK in a song. It was such a smooth experience because all of us kind of had the same thought process as far as the song was concerned. Fortunately, we didn’t have any disagreements, and also with the both of them, they bring a fusion of music because they have their urban side and I have my Punjabi, and when it fuses it instantly becomes beautiful so it was pretty amazing. With BigBang, I feel these people have got a sense, cause they supported me throughout the song and they're still supporting me with the upcoming releases that we have. So from planning to getting the video done, getting the song out, to promotion to everything, they've always had my back, and I'm really happy about that. There is nothing more than gratitude in my heart that I have to express towards BigBang.
I feel that collaboration is the future of the music industry. If you want to grow as an individual artist and if this industry wants different kinds of music, then collaborations are the way forward. Every person has their own style, there's no comparison with anybody, we all have different perspectives about music and when it comes together it unlocks a different new dimension altogether. So, yes, collaborations should be the future.
What do you think about the video of the song featuring so many female artists? How was your experience of working with the girls? How did all of you end up finalizing this line-up?
The video is truly empowering because in this industry it's not often that such powerful people come together in one video sharing the screen with each other. This also shows how united and strong women are and that is exactly the point of Kinni Kinni Vaari and the video portrays this beautifully. For the line-up of the cast, the entire credit goes to the BigBang team, they had their ideas that we ran through and forth with each other and I am glad that we were able to get such a wonderful line-up. These six different beauties from different fields have achieved a lot. Working with these people and getting to know them personally was amazing. Even though we've not met, we've had fulfilling conversations. They're humble and so grounded!
You are a singer, lyricist, and composer so while doing a song is there a part of you that is dominant, or have you found a striking balance between the three?
There is definitely a part of me that is dominant, so when I sit to write, I end up writing sad songs. But I'm trying to strike a balance with the genre of music that I'm creating and I'm trying to be more versatile. That’s what I aim to achieve in the future as well. So whatever is done is done as far as my music is concerned. The future will definitely be more versatile and I'll be experimenting with various genres including RnB trap, pop and I've even made a hip-hop song that I'm not too sure about but I'm working on it!
Who inspires you or rather what inspires you and what genres of music do you listen to?
I'm practically all over the place. I'm listening to everything and everybody from Weekend to Ariana Grande to Ed Sheeran. I'm listening to Bollywood as well as South Indian music. So, that actually helps me create something that is influenced out of all these but yet is unique in its own sense. What inspires me is that I have this drive within me, so I make it a point to sit in my studio for at least an hour whether I'm making something or not, but I sit there and think and come up with at least an idea a day. What develops into a song is the latter process but yes I try to do this every day.
Is there a specific music director or a singer with whom you’d like to work?
This is like a permanent answer in my heart. I'd love to work with Arijit Singh sometime!
What would you want to say to budding artists out there?
Never give up, that's the attitude that we all need to put out. I've seen in the industry that there are so many times that people let you down or you let yourselves down but the key is to get right back up on your feet and keep moving forward, keep working on yourselves. Try to make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd, try to work on something that sets you apart from the rest. This is what is the key to success in the music industry right now cause we are seeing a gazillion of composers, singers, writers all out there that are dying for that one single opportunity. So keep on working and never give up, it’s going to eventually come up to you.
If you had to say something to women out there, what would it be?
I'd like to quote the lyrics from my own song to tell them that you need to tell the guy out there who you're trying to chase that “ek mera dil soniya das tu tudega toh kinni kinni vaari” and if he comes back to you good and if not, you need to move on.
Have you listened to the song yet? Do tell us in the comments below what you liked about this beautiful empowering piece!
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