Banjaare: Two Brothers Taking Haryanvi Music Beyond Borders

For the two brothers behind Banjaare, music is less about fitting into a particular genre and more about creating something that feels honest. Rooted firmly in Haryanvi culture but influenced by a much wider musical landscape, their work reflects where they have come from, what they have experienced and how they see the world around them.

“We’re two brothers making Haryanvi music, but we don’t really like putting ourselves in a box,” they say. “Our music comes from where we grew up, what we’ve experienced and what we feel.” While Haryanvi remains at the heart of their sound, they draw inspiration from different artists, styles and sounds, allowing those influences to naturally find their way into their music.

For them, success has never been about chasing numbers. “We make music for the heart, not for the charts,” they explain. “If a song connects with people, the charts and numbers will follow.” What matters most is creating music that feels real to them and, ultimately, makes listeners feel something too.

Music had always been present in their lives, but neither brother initially saw it as a career. That changed during lockdown, when the sudden pause in everyday life gave them time to reflect on what they really wanted to do. They decided that if music was something they were going to pursue, they needed to commit to it fully.

They began making songs, experimenting with different ideas and releasing their work. As listeners gradually discovered their music and began connecting with it, their confidence grew. What had started as an idea during an uncertain period began to feel like a genuine career path.

That instinctive approach has continued to shape their sound. Rather than deliberately deciding to combine particular genres, they allow their influences to come together naturally. Growing up with Haryanvi music while listening to a wide range of other artists has given them a broad musical palette, but their roots remain central.

For the brothers, staying connected to Haryanvi does not mean being restricted by tradition. They want to take the language, emotions and cultural influences they grew up with and present them in a way that feels contemporary. It is an approach that allows them to remain authentic while continuing to experiment.

The biggest turning point came with “Bairan”, a song that changed the scale of their ambitions. Before its release, they were still focused on finding their audience and making music they believed in. They never expected one track to have such a significant impact.

Watching people from different parts of India discover the song, create reels around it and connect with its emotion was a surreal experience. Its success on major charts was an even bigger surprise, demonstrating to the brothers that music in their own language could reach audiences far beyond what they had initially imagined.

“Bairan gave us the confidence to believe that a song in our language could travel much further than we had imagined.”

The experience also contributed to a shift in how they view themselves as artists. Where they once worried about whether people would like a particular song or whether they were making the “right” kind of music, they have gradually learnt to trust their instincts.

They are now more comfortable making music on their own terms and resisting the pressure to follow every passing trend. They have also developed a clearer understanding of what they want their music to say.

“There’s still a lot to learn,” they acknowledge, “but we definitely feel more confident than we did when we started.”

That evolution is reflected in Banjaare, which represents both a project and a philosophy. The word itself refers to someone who keeps moving, exploring and collecting experiences along the way — an idea that strongly resonates with the brothers and their own journey.

They come from a rooted background, but they have always wanted to explore beyond what is familiar, experience new things and take their music to different places. Banjaare therefore became a natural name for the project and a reflection of the path they want to follow.

Just as importantly, they want listeners to bring their own interpretations to the music. Rather than telling an audience what they should feel, they believe songs become more meaningful when people connect them to their own lives.

A listener might hear a song and think of someone they love, a place they miss or a particular moment in their past. For the brothers, those personal connections are exactly what music should create.

“The best thing that can happen is when a song becomes a part of someone’s own story.”

They experienced that feeling themselves while making Banjaare. There was a point during the creative process when the technical elements — the vocals, production and structure — became secondary to the emotion of the track. Once everything came together, they both felt there was something different about the song.

It is a feeling they have learnt to trust. While music can be analysed from every possible angle, sometimes the most important indication that a track works is simply the way it makes you feel.

Banjaare also represents the wider direction they want to take their music. They see it as a space where they can experiment without losing sight of where they come from. Haryanvi is central to their identity, and reaching a wider audience does not mean compromising that identity.

In fact, their ambition is to take it further. They want audiences outside Haryana, and even outside India, to discover the language and connect with the emotion behind the music.

The philosophy is straightforward: stay rooted, keep experimenting and keep moving forward.

There is already plenty more on the horizon. The brothers are planning new music, collaborations and live shows, while promising that fans can also expect things they may not see coming. The response to “Barsaat” has shown them that audiences connect strongly with the emotional side of their work, and they are keen to explore that further without simply repeating themselves.

For artists still relatively early in their journey, their ambitions are clear. They want to keep evolving without losing their identity, taking Haryanvi music into new spaces while allowing listeners everywhere to find their own meaning within it.

Banjaare, in many ways, captures that entire philosophy: rooted in where they began, open to where the journey might take them, and always moving forward.