Kaos Productions Introduces ‘DEESH SANDHU’

Kaos Productions – “We feel Deesh will be that female artist who challenges and changes the history of Bhangra music in the UK” 

Punjab2000 had the pleasure of catching up with UK Panjabi Music Producers Kaos Productions and their first ever artist signing Deesh Sandhu. From releasing a YouTube video on Wednesday, there has been a huge amount of interest and support for this extremely talented London born, Midlands based Panjabi folk singer.

We loved the video and are excited to see new talent. How did the collaboration with Deesh Sandhu happen?

“Thank you guys. Our collaboration with Deesh came completely unexpectedly as artist mentoring/management is not something we have done before. Deesh made contact via email in January, in fact after seeing my inverview with Punjab2000 on youtube haha. I had asked her to send clips of her singing and upon hearing them we immediately recognised the potential for her to make her own mark in the music scene.”

What is it about her voice & personality that made you choose Deesh as Kaos Productions first artist signing?

“Deesh is a singer that has a tone that transports you back to the Panjabi folk era. Her vocals are raw and come without compromise and this suits our brand of music. We also see an inner confidence that convinced us she is a natural born performer.”

Where do you see her fitting in within the music industry, which is an extremely competitive market?

“The U.K. scene has forever been dominated by male singers and having a female singer like Deesh on board is so refreshing for us. We feel she will be that female artist who challenges and changes the history of Bhangra music in the UK. Panjab has plenty of fantastic female artists, who have established themselves globally with the backing of the public there, so we hope the UK will get behind one of their own and support Deesh and help revive the Panjabi music scene within this country.”

What do you have planned for Deesh Sandhu this year?

“This year we have been lucky enough to have several bookings already lined up. Deesh’s first performance is scheduled for May 5th at Hayes Mela where the headlining act are the Waris Brothers. There are other melas and events too. We’ll showcase more of her singing via Youtube and social media and are also planning her debut track for later on in the year.”

What else can we look forward to Kaos wise?

“Kaos Productions also have a highly anticipated track called ‘Glock’ coming very soon with Gurj Sidhu. We are working on several other projects with some new talent, whilst looking at a possible solo independent Kaos release, so an exciting and busy year ahead for sure.”

Deesh Sandhu is a West London born banker who’s dream has always been to become a singer & performer. After the release of her studio video by Kaos Productions, we are sure that she is on her way to making that dream come true.

Hi Deesh. We enjoyed the video and thought you sounded great….it’s about time we had a female folk singer in this country!

“Haha thank you so much! I’m overwhelmed by the support and encouragement that we’ve received over the last few days. Yes, there aren’t many female folk singers out there, especially of my geneneraion so I’m hoping that people find the sound authentic….It’s a really exciting time and I’m feeling extremely blessed.”

Firstly can you tell us a little bit about yourself and when your passion for music began.

“Well, I was born and raised in West London but now living in the Midlands where I’m a banker by profession. My family have said that I’ve been singing from around the age of 4 and I’ve seen videos from my childhood, so I’ve always had a love of music for as long as I can remember. A percentage of your surroundings influence the person that you become, so being brought up in a very traditional Sikh family from manners to music, I was taught kirtan as a child so singing in Panjabi became second nature to me.”

Deesh who have you been influenced by musically and what have you been doing to get to this point?

“My father is a fan of Yamla Jatt and Dhadi Amar Singh Shonki and my mother a fan of Jagmohan Kaur and Gurmeet Bawa. I have always loved folk music from a very young age, Ranjeet Kaur, Jagmohan Kaur, Surinder Kaur, I also grew up listening to Miss Pooja. I’ve been influenced greatly by Pakistani and sufi singers too, artists like Madam Noor Jahan, Naseebo Lal, Arif Lohar. Folk music is my first love but as I speak and sing fluently in Hindi and Urdu, I’m looking forward to trying lots of things.”

“I use to sing at home, at family functions and weddings but only started getting serious about it when university friends complimented my voice and encouraged me to take it to the next level. I started my career in banking and love what I do but I know in my heart of hearts singing is where I see my future. My family have seen something in me and know how serious I am and are supporting me all the way….so here I am!”

Which brings us to your collaboration with Kaos Productions, how did that come about?

“After making the decision to pursue my passion for music, I was looking for a producer that I could also look up to as a mentor who would push me to my full potential. I had met a few before but the vibe just wasn’t right for me so when I came across Amo Hayer‘s interview on Punjab2000 by complete accident, I was pleasantly surprised by how similar our backgrounds and musical tastes were. The interview told me quite alot about paji as a person and he came across as honest and respectful so I knew that I had to contact him in the hope that he would see the potential in me. He asked for some clips of me singing and thank God he liked them haha!”

As respected and extremely likeable producers, what has the experience of being mentored & produced by Kaos Productions been like so far? 

“Working with one of the best producers in the UK comes with a great sense of responsibility. To represent Amo Hayer and Kaos Productions I know that I need to meet certain standards and that involves discipline, dedication, respect and passion. I am definitely pushed vocally too!”

“It’s been an intense few months behind the scenes and hasn’t been easy keeping things quiet either but I feel so fortunate to have been given this opportunity. I have a fantastic team who have supported and taught me so much and I’m really looking forward to everyone seeing and hearing our hard work and passion for music.”

Getting into the music industry is a far cry from banking, how has finding the time to fit in music been?

“No, it’s completely different….Being a full time banker I’ve had to dedicate most of my spare time practising my vocals, learning lyrics and just trying to absorb as much information as possible in such a short space of time….but I feel ready now, am mentally prepared, have met the right person to mentor me and am with the right team so I’m going to work as hard as I can to make it happen.”

The Panjabi music industry in the UK is predominately male oriented and the majority of successful female artists all hail from Punjab. How do you see yourself fitting in as an artist and how do you hope to be seen by your audience?

“Firstly I believe that dedication and talent will do the talking regardless if you are male or female. The population in India is huge so having more successful singers from there is to be expected. I would like to be seen as a folk singer as that’s what I love but a certain amount of versatility is important which I’m open to. I hope the audience can see how passionate I am about singing and performing, seeing how much I enjoy it I really hope they will to.”

“Today’s world is all about social media, everything has become about image….so much has changed over the years when it was once about your performance and vocals. Now you have to look a certain way to fit in which is sad because I just want to be seen as me and not to be something I’m not.”

“In the years to come I would love to be seen as a successful Panjabi folk singer, with a raw Panjabi attitude singing with a traditional vibe, entertaining people doing what I love.”

Being born and brought up in the west we would assume that we have more freedom to follow any career path of our choosing….but why do you think there are so few female Punjabi singers coming out of the UK?

“Well it’s definitely not because of lack of talent. It could be various factors, other responsibilities that take over your life leading you towards a different path, families not approving due to their own personal fears and beliefs or what our society will say, concerns that the industry is a scary place to work due to rumours or other people’s unfortunate stories. Cultural and social stigmas are still sensitive topics but if you are serious about what you want to do then make smart choices, speak honestly with your families to ease concerns, make the music industry a safe place for all, definitely surround yourself with the right people and I’m sure in time more doors will open and we’ll be seeing many more UK born Panjabi singers.”

“I see that opportunities are there within the industry to showcase new talent, especially now in the age of social media but at the same time if you truly believe you have something, are passionate about it then you have to turn your dreams into a reality….and that’s what I’m trying to do”

It’s been great talking to you Deesh and we wish you all the best with your future projects. Finally, what’s in store for you for 2019?

“Awww, thank you so much. It’s already been a crazy few months and I’m excited to say that my first live performance will be on May 5th at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Club Hayes for their Vaisakhi Mela. The Waris Brothers will be headlining so I’m really looking forward to performing there. We have quite a few other bookings already….and of course my debut track produced by Kaos Productions will released later on in the year, so feeling great about how things are going and can’t wait for you all to see what we’ve been working on. Thank you Punjab2000 for taking the time to speak to me, I really do appreciate the support.”

Check out the studio video of Kaos Productions Introduces New Punjabi Singer ‘Deesh Sandhu’ a tribute to the wonderful Jagmohan Kaur, below.