Exclusive 'Catch Up' with Juggy D
Juggy D celebrated the release of his new single ‘Punjabi Rockstar’ at the exclusive venue Avalon on 20th November. The single is taken from his forthcoming album of the same name, which will be his first in six years. The event by Voodoo Entertainment; 'The Official Juggy D Single Launch Party' was attended by a star studded crowd. H Dhami, Bee 2 and Ameet Channa were there amongst other star guests to celebrate.
Simpy Bhangra were at the event and caught up with the Punjabi Rockstar himself to talk music, tattoos and trashed hotel rooms!
We saw you give a highly energetic performance earlier. How do you prepare for your performances?
I don’t drink before I perform, but I do drink afterwards! But that’s my one rule. I don’t drink before I go on stage. I get the energy from the crowd and from my music.
Could you tell us a bit about your new album?
The album is out in the New Year and the single is out 1st December. The new single and album are both called ‘Punjabi Rockstar.’ It’s named on my lifestyle. I live like a rockstar and I’m Punjabi so we called it ‘Punjabi Rockstar.’
Watch the promo now!
[hdplay videoid=142 height=400 width=650 playlist=false autoplay=false]
I’m young and in the music game and I enjoy life. Life’s too short to sit in the hotel room after you’ve done your gig.
I party hard and the next day I’ll have a flight in the morning to another destination and I’ll have another performance in the evening. That’s why everyone calls me a rockstar.
How will the new album be different to anything you’ve previously released?
To be honest, it won’t be very much different because there’s a sound that Juggy D has. It’s very pop, very dancefloor and very easy to listen to. I wanted to keep that method that we used on the first album.
That’s why I’ve worked closely with Mentor on this album. He produced ‘Sohniye,’ ‘Billo’ and ‘Akheer’ on the first album. On this album he has produced six songs. There’s some very desi tracks, pop music, an urban track, a sad song, a mid-tempo song. There’s something for everyone.
Do you have a favourite track on the new album?
Every single one is as good as the rest. I haven’t got a personal favourite, I love them all. I didn’t want to release an album that only had one or two tracks that would sell it. I wanted every track to be a song that could potentially be the title track and I’m happy with the finished product.
Rockstars are notorious for their wild antics. What is the most ‘rockstar’ thing you’ve ever done?
I’ve turned my hotel room upside down! I sat in my jacuzzi tub, which was in the room and read a book and slept there because I was so drunk!
You’ve got your tongue pierced and tattoos, that’s very ‘rockstar’!
Yes, how many Indian guys do you know who have their tongue pierced! I have a tattoo on the back of my forearm which is the notes of ‘Nahin Jeena.’ All of my tattoos are very original. Everything is very personalised and very unique. I have another one on my neck.
The swords are from the Khanda, but I didn’t want a Khanda because I drink. At the bottom there are two eyes, to keep away ‘maari nazar’ and bad vibes.
In the middle it says ‘JD’ but if you look closely it says ‘God.’ I wasn’t taught how to sing. My Ustaad is the man above. I’ve never been vocally trained, but I work hard. I’ve had some lessons but it’s a God given gift.
You recently collaborated with Blitzkreig. How was this experience?
Amazing. He’s a very close friend, got a lot of love and respect for him. He’s very talented and the track works on the dancefloor. It was a very international collaboration.
The video was shot in Toronto, the vocals were recorded in London and the track was produced in Glasgow. It’s an international collaboration.
You have collaborated with many other artistes including Veronica, Shin and Jay Sean. If you could collaborate with anyone else who would it be?
I would have loved to have worked with Michael Jackson! I’d love to do a track with someone like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, or Busta Rhymes. These things are possible now. Jay’s had a number one in the US and Rishi’s now also producing in the US.
You’ve mentioned Rishi Rich quite a few times. Has he worked on the new album?
Rishi has produced a track on the new album. It’s a very Bollywood style Punjabi track. We’ll work on more material together in the future. He’s a very close friend of mine, he’s my brother. He’s the guy that gave me a break into the industry. He’ll always be a part of my life.
Thank you for taking out the time for this interview. Do you have any final words for your fans?
Big shout out to SimplyBhangra Team, keep up the good work and all the people who have supported me from day one. I hope they go out and support the new album. The new single is out on December 1st. Available at all good record stores and on iTunes.
Article written by Sarb and Manj
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