Bringing The Magic of Mystical Poetry in Music

Bringing The Magic of Mystical Poetry in Music

Infusion of contemporary music with age-old poetry and verses is an art that we seldom get to witness in the era of modern creations and renditions. But singer/musician Harpreet belongs to the rare talent that takes inspiration from the works of poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Bulleh Shah, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Kabir and many more.

“Music never happened to me. Rather, I was born with music inside me,” said Harpreet who was in Odisha recently.

The singer was in awe with the temple city of Bhubaneswar and then scenic beauty of Mangalajodi. “Odisha’s beauty has stolen my heart. One can feel the love for art and culture among people here. This is my third visit to this place after 2014,” he said.

Born in a Punjabi family from Haryana, Harpreet found a ‘secret escape’ from the chaos of the world in music. As a kid, he had already figured out that music was his calling. “I was always sure that my life was in music. After my father moved to Kurukshetra, music became a reality for me. With my academic records not showing any promise, I joined Gandharv Mahavidyalaya in Delhi immediately after completing my schooling where I received my formal training in music,” he informed.

‘Badal Raag’ of Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, ‘Bol Ke Lab Azad Hain Tere’ of Faiz Ahmed Faiz etc. introduces one with the spiritual side of literature. In his originals like ‘Ye Jo Pal Hai’ he speaks about living in the present forbidding all the regrets, emotional wreckages,  and ‘Ajnabi’ is a conversation with a stranger on love, life, and time. There are much more of his creations that define Harpreet’s mastery over music, his understanding of the depth of human emotions and literature’s connect with spirituality.

Harpreet has been able to carve a separate identity in the mainstream music by his choice of compositions which he makes with the poetries of famous poets. However, the singer said it was not a planned choice. “Bringing poetry and music on the same platform and combining the two genres happened by chance. I used to practice with old Bollywood numbers and regional songs. But literature is vast and music is a part of it. I developed a keen interest in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu literature as I was born and brought up in a place where these three languages have a considerable influence. In order to do something different and expand my musical expertise, I thought of creating a bridge between poetry and music,” he said.

For Harpreet, the familiarity with the stage and crowd began from a young age. He started performing in front of the audience during his school days and has appeared at music and literature festivals as well as digital platforms. The singer feels stage consciousness is a must for any artist.

When Harpreet takes the stage, he is carried away to a completely different world where the beats of music and lyrics of songs are his only companions. Sharing one of his stage experiences, he said, “Once I was performing ‘Khooni Vaishakhi’, one of my musical compositions on the poetry of Nanak Singh on Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Nanak Singh was one of the peaceful protesters who luckily survived the indiscriminate firing and witnessed hundreds of corpses lying around him. As I sang, I felt as if it was not my voice but of those killed in the massacre who were expressing their pain through me. I could feel their agony with each word I sang. For days, I was emotionally and mentally drained out. There was a spiritual connection which can never be expressed in words.”

He regards Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Dave Matthews, Freddie Mercury as his inspirations and studies their works a lot.

Harpreet, who all set to step into Bollywood, believes that digital media is the most powerful platform now. “Since the last 10 years, the digital platform has grown immensely. In fact, I have evolved as an artist because of digital media. It depends on how you present and market yourself,” he added.