Jasleen Royal: I dread the day my songs are remixed without my consent

Jasleen Royal has sufficient successful tracks behind her to keep fans intrigued about each new offering. However, her latest number, Heeriye, has become the talk of the town for more reasons than one. In this interview, Royal discusses creating the number that marks South star Dulquer Salmaan’s music-video debut, and why her songs are making fewer appearances in Bollywood films.

 

Edited excerpts of the interview.

 

I have had this song with me for a while, but it was incomplete. I was attached to this one and did not want to give it to any [filmmaker]. I wanted to do it myself and have full control over what I could do. I reached out to Dulquer, and he told me that he [was my fan]. He said when his daughter was an infant, she would only sleep while listening to my song, Din shagna da. 

 

I sent this song to him, and he said he loved it. While he was busy, I said I could wait for him. [Because he was coming on board], we obviously wanted to make this big. You’ll see that enough thought has gone into creating each frame. 

 

A lot of people asked him why he decided to do this indie music video. And he’d say, ‘Art is art.’ He doesn’t segregate art on the basis of the platform. That is what I love about him, because a lot of actors are caught up in the game of positioning. 

 

Because I was also donning the producer’s hat, I wanted everything to go well, and to make him feel welcomed. I didn’t want him to feel like this was a small project for him. My focus was on making him feel at ease, but he was cool. 

 

I don’t think about doing a romantic song or a sad song, in that specific way. When I made Ranjha, [I did so because] something was happening in my life. A close friend was going through a bad phase. She was living with me and I translated her pain into my song because it was getting overwhelming to see her.  

 

So, I just think about what comes naturally to me. I don’t think about writing a chart-buster, or using tricks because something is [trending]. I made this song, and felt Arijit [Singh] would be the perfect choice for it. I was grateful that he agreed to sing it. So, the effort has always been to create something unique and something that I believe in. 

 

Honestly, I’m sick of remixes. I don’t want to give the rights to my songs to any label anymore. I dread the day I hear my song being remixed without my creative inputs. I am frustrated with this trend. And because I don’t want to whine or complain about it, I am choosing to steer away from that direction and do something on my own. 

 

When Ranjha came out, it brought me financial stability. I could take this risk, because I can’t sit and fear that someday someone will take my song, tweak one or two lines, or add one new word, and call it their composition. I think that is ridiculous.

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