Amplified – Imran Khan Takes Punjabi Music to the Next Level

When you hear the name Imran Khan who do you think of?

 

For most, the famous Pakistani cricket star would come to mind, but for those of you haven’t heard there is another Imran Khan who is ready to take on the world and is looking to take Punjabi music to the next level.

 

The Dutch born Imran Khan stormed the British Asian music scene over two years ago with the single “Ni Nachleh” ( Let’s Dance). For Khan, “Ni Nachleh” was an experiment – he wanted to test out a new sound for Punjabi music and wasn’t sure what the reaction would be. The single turned out to be a huge success and had fans and critics alike asking for more.

 

But there was a problem. Khan didn’t have any other songs to release, so he immediately began working on an album. It was a couple of years in the making but Khan dropped his debut album Unforgettable in late July, 2009. And like “Ni Nachleh”, the album has received rave reviews and the single “Amplifier” became the summer anthem with the highest number of requests on UK radio stations catering to the South Asian demographic.

 

Khan is taking all the success in stride and is more than happy with how everything has turned out. On the phone from London, Khan expressed that he still had doubts prior to the album being released.

 

“When I was creating this album, I only thought two things,” says Khan. “Are the people going to accept this? Are the people going to listen to it? But they loved it. It’s always a risk to come with something new.”

 

Despite being a fan of Punjabi music he found that the music had changed very little over the years and was still too traditional. He wanted to shake up the Punjabi music scene with a new sound.

 

“As a Punjabi listener, as a fan of Punjabi music I thought there was a big gap in this industry,” says Khan. “I don’t know why they are keeping the traditional dhol and tumbi. You have to understand it’s 2010 you have to come with something different.”

 

Being born and raised in Holland, Khan grew up in a mixed community with very few South Asians. Khan’s upbringing was shaped by a diverse set of musical influences, which provided a strong foundation for his own musical creations. By successfully combining Punjabi lyrics to a blend of house, electro, hip-hop and even a bit of rock, Khan has essentially created a new sub genre of urban Desi music that will no doubt inspire other artists to follow in his footsteps.

 

“I thought let me fill the gap with my own creativity. So I made Punjabi music with house music, electro. It’s not like a dream but like an experiment for me as to how I was going to sound like. So I thought let me develop this idea and release it and there it was.”

 

Even while growing up, Khan was influenced by Punjabi singers who were unique and different from other Punjabi artists.  

 

“I used to listen to Chan Chamkila, Didar Sandhu and Mohammed Saddiq. I thought they were different from other Punjabi artists in that time.”

 

As for now, Khan draws his influences from the west listening to r&b and hip-hop with T-Pain being one of his favourite artists.

 

 

Khan started to take his musical ambitions seriously in his early twenties and was signed to a record label in England. However, he quickly returned to Holland over mismanagement and financial concerns. From there it would take Khan a few years to find a producer who shared his vision. Whether he was in Pakistan or England, all the producers he met had an old-school frame of mind.

 

“Basically I went to Pakistan first to make an album. When we finished the album there after a few months I was listening to the album and I was thinking ‘No, I don’t want to come like this in this industry. I want to come fresh, something new and something modern.’ And I cancelled the whole project and I went to the UK. There I wanted to do a single release and we made the track and again the same feeling I had in Pakistan even if I was in a modern country. And still, it wasn’t what I wanted to achieve.”

 

At that point, Khan decided to take a year-long break to figure out his next move. But his hiatus was short-lived. Upon his return to Holland his determination got the better of him and he immediately went to work looking for producers who would feel his vibe and sound.

 

“Then I met Eren E and he was living just behind me, behind my house. So someone introduced me to him and when I saw him, I knew he was going to produce my album. And that’s it and from there it all started. Then I thought, there’s no need to look far sometimes it’s just near you.”

 

Eren E is a Dutch-Turkish music producer who produced “Ni Nachleh” for Khan and the two have worked together ever since. Eren E produced tracks 1-12 on Unforgettable while another Dutch-Turkish producer, Hakan Ozan produced the final three tracks on the album. But since both producers were unfamiliar with Punjabi music, Khan helped co-produce many tracks as well.

 

“I always sit next to the producer. I like to guide them because they don’t know the Punjabi lyrics so I explain them. I co-produced as well, sometimes they can’t come up with a melody line or beat and then I would tell them how to.”

 

“Bewafa” was chosen by Khan’s fans to be his next single and was released in December. The song became an instant hit and shows off Khan’s emotional side. The single is in complete contrast to “Amplifier” but demonstrates Khan’s ability to deliver up-tempo and slow jams with relative ease.

 

2010 will be a busy year for Khan as he plans to tour extensively in Europe, Asia and North America in support of Unforgettable. He has already worked on new material but wants to firmly establish the current album before he moves on to any other projects. But if the initial success is any indication we will hear from Imran Khan for many years to come.

Visit www.imrankhanworld.com to watch videos and for more information on Imran Khan.

Contact Aman Dhanoa at aman@oyetimes.com