An evening with the Rishi Rich Project

By Qamar Khalid

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Rishi Rich, Juggy D and Jay Sean are what make up the Rishi Rich Project, at the moment at least. I say that because the Rishi Rich Project is about Rishi Rich making tunes with the latest British Asian music talents. So you never know who might be next.

After Rishi’s stint at Bally Sagoo’s Ishq Records and his debut album Simply Rich, Rishi Rich joined 2point9 (what we hear of in every song of theirs probably), to collaborate with Juggy D, Jay Sean and many other acts. He’s produced tracks for Craig David, Madonna, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears to name a few. After the success of Dance with you, where Jay Sean had penned the English bit and Juggy D the Hindi lyrics, both have been constantly touring and working on their albums.

While Jay’s album is expected to come out in October, both his singles Eyes on You and Dance with you, have reached number 6 and 12 respectively on the British charts. Juggy D’s album was the first hardcore Punjabi album to be distributed all over the UK by a major label such as HMV.

Rishi Rich Project is a unique sound in a fresh package. Blending the tumbi (Punjabi instrument) and the flute with the English beats, the crowd can definitely connect with the performers because they are just your normal “geezees.” With the Asian listeners already supporting them and the Western sound already in their songs, the future looks bright for these guys!

I met them at the Rain Dance 2004 in Dubai for the second time and things had definitely changed this time around. Jay had performed at the prestigious Top of the Pops twice, Juggy D was now more than just a filler in the songs and Rishi Rich was riding high on the success of his song in the Hindi flick, Hum Tum. The guys seemed much professional this time around. Answering questions they wanted to and how they wanted to.

How did you both hook up with Rishi Rich?

Jay: A demo of mine fell into his hands and he called me up and asked me to come to the studio to meet him. That was about 2 years ago now.

Juggy: A friend who knew Rishi said he was looking for a Punjabi singer to feature on his tune Nahin Jeena, so I went down to his studio and auditioned for him.

Dance With You came out last year. Why such a delay in your album Juggy D?

Juggy: We’ve basically spent time getting the production ready, and I had quite a few other collaborations on Rishi’s remixes which were great opportunities for me so I wanted to use that opportunity to increase my profile. Plus, my label and management 2Point9 really wanted to make sure the album was right and ready musically so we changed a few things in the last few months until we felt it was right.

What’s the response been to the album? Is hardcore bhangra the thing to hear now?

Juggy: I’ve had a great reaction not just from the Asian community but from the mainstream sector also. HMV have been stocking the album in the high streets in the UK and the video to “Sohniye” has been in the top ten on Channel U which is one of the biggest urban music video stations for kids in the UK. So things are wicked, man.

There’s great chemistry between the two of you, had it been some other way would you still force yourselves to work together just because Dance With You was such a hit?

Jay: Well from day one we always knew we were solo artists because that’s what we wanted to be and what our management 2point9 always stressed to us as well. Basically to launch solo careers for the both of us off the back of a single which featured both of us. Plus the fact we sing in different languages means that we’re actually in totally different arenas as artists although we can feature on the same record.

Juggy: Yeah, I definitely had to be forced to work with Jay [laughs].

Your live act has quite some variations to the actual songs, is it something spontaneous or rehearsed. Also, tell us what a Rishi Rich Project live act is like.

Jay: It’s very up-tempo. There is a lot of spontaneity involved and basically we just try and have a good time. I think it helps the fact that we flip between Punjabi tunes, RnB tunes, hip hop and a blend of the both. It’s a real mixed bag of genres which I think helps to keep people interested.

Jay, you mention in your song, Me against Myself, that you’ve done well because the Indian thing was the place to be. Do you actually think that’s the reason for your success?

Jay: Well I hope it’s not all because of that, but yeah, its definitely helped. The current interest from the mainstream in Asian culture has built a platform for people like me and Raghav in the Western industry and we just have to try.

Who is Kamaljit?

Jay: Me. My real name is Kamaljit Jhooti.

When’s the next single releasing and what’s the album sounding like?

Jay: Single is called “Stolen” and is to be released in the UK on 18th October. The album is called “Me Against Myself” and is to be released a week later on the 25th October. I’m proud of the album, I think it’s heavy!

Rumor has it that Aishwarya Rai is subject to be in Stolen’s video. Your dream date. What say?

Jay: Close, but its not Aishwarya, you’ll have to wait and see.

What are the different projects you guys are involved with and what should we be looking out for from the 2point9 crew?

Juggy: Obviously my album has just dropped in the UK, the upcoming one is Jay’s album which is to be released on the 25th of October. Then Rishi has got his Rishi Rich Project album coming early next year which is featuring ALL of the 2point9 crew including Veronica, who’s also got her own album which is close to being finished due for release in 2point9.

Plus there’s Mentor’s (Rishi’s younger brother) album next year also. Rishi’s album is going be so wicked, I’ve heard some of the beats he’s been coming up with recently in the studio and they are SICK! He’s wanted to start his album for a long time but he’s been too busy with all of my stuff and Jay’s stuff and I think that frustration has come out on his keyboard. Look forward to that people. There is also a Rishi Rich Project DVD which is coming out at Christmas which kind of sums up the last 2 years and what’s happened to all of us.

Where do you enjoy playing the most?

Juggy: Dubai, of course.

You performed in Dubai last year and now you’re back here again. Would you say Dubai’s audience has a different taste of music?

Juggy: It appears quite Desi but to be fair, last year was unbelievable. The crowd was so receptive to new tracks, I mean; we ended up rolling out some of our demos as you guys were just up for everything!

Any interesting on-stage, off-stage experience?

Jay: We’ve had a load of women throw their lingerie at us on stage in Toronto, Canada last month which was a new experience.

Eyes On You has your granddad in it and the video doesn’t look like a usual R’n’B video. Do you think you’ll ever have to bow down to pressure from the label to make a video which looks like usual one?

Jay: No. We just try and go with what we feel suits the song but it isn’t totally what people will expect. That’s one thing where my label is very good at as they understand the importance of videos I hope that doesn’t change.

Juggy’s album is out and Jay’s is going to hit the market anytime soon. So what’s new with Rishi Rich?

Jay: Rishi is so fired up and ready to let loose on his album. It’s probably going to be due in early 2005 but myself and Juggy are fighting to get on some of the tracks as I’ve heard some of the instrumentals he’s been working on and they are off the hook!

Stolen has a tune from an old Hindi song. Not that it’s a new thing but I’m talking about picking up pieces and making a picture. Aren’t you trying to cash in on each other’s success?

Jay: Not at all. With regards to using a classic sample, I always try to write the song around what the sample is actually saying. The relevance between my English lyrics and the Hindi sample has to make sense so in that respect I hope I’m not being disrespectful to the original.

If you’re asking me whether I think I’m hijacking someone else’s piece of art then I say to you, listen to the song I’ve written, Acapella, without the sample in it and see if it holds up on its own as a piece of work. I personally think as songs in their own right, they do, but I can’t speak for everyone of course. Try remixing them, that’s usually the acid test for a well written song.