Punjabi singer-songwriter, composer and actor Noor Chahal finds fulfilment in being a jack of all trades. Beneath her diverse portfolio is the voice of an artiste living her dream. Her journey began during the lockdown, when Instagram became her launchpad to the world. Her powerful vocals and impressive covers won her an audience and her journey from performing for the gram to taking the stage is only just getting started. In conversation with Noor, we delve into her latest single, Sochu Main, which explores the uncertainties that come with chasing our dreams and the desire to break free of inhibitions and live life to the fullest.
Your career took off with a couple of covers that you posted during Covid. Why did lockdown feel like the right time to start and how did it feel knowing that so many people loved your voice?
Lockdown left me with a lot of time on my hands and not a whole lot to do. I randomly started making covers of songs I genuinely loved without expecting anything. There was never any big plan behind it or any thought of where it might lead. It happened quite organically. It was incredibly wholesome and honestly a little overwhelming, to see people from different parts of the world connecting with and showing so much love to my covers. I’ll always be grateful for all the love and I am glad I took that step.
Have you always enjoyed writing your own lyrics and singing songs that feel more yours?
I wasn’t always aware of my songwriting skill. Initially, I would only focus on being a vocalist, but when I was looking to release my first original, I felt the need to write it myself, which is how my first independent release, Jhalleya Dila happened. I realised how much I enjoyed the process of writing and composing, apart from singing, of course. It made me want to discover myself more as a songwriter. On top of that, the way listeners reacted to my words genuinely validated my skill and I feel I might be getting better at expressing myself with every song.
What genre do you enjoy composing and singing the most? Tell us about your writing process, especially for Sochu Main?
I don’t think I have one fixed genre yet and I hope I never do. I have always taken pride in my versatility and I wouldn’t want to change it. I want to touch as many genres as I can while being true to the craft. With Sochu Main, the melody came to me from a very simple emotional space. I still have the video of me just humming the theme. The tune felt very heroic and vulnerable at the same time. I knew it wasn’t made for a love song, a sad song or a happy one either. My writing process is usually quite messy. I’ll have random lines in my Notes app, voice notes recorded at completely unreasonable hours, melodies with absolutely no words and occasionally an idea that I might forget five minutes later. A melody could come to me while I am driving, eating or doing something that isn’t remotely related to music. So there’s definitely no ‘sitting by the window and writing poetry’ situation happening!
Let’s take a deep dive into the song. What was the intent behind writing Sochu Main? Walk us through the lyrics and the different musical elements within the song?
I often ask myself if I should continue chasing the dream or leave it all behind. Should I keep believing in myself or take another route? Maybe I’m not built for this, or am I? Questions like these arise in everyone’s life, be it a musician or not. Sochu Main is my attempt to make an introspective song about the internal conflict of whether to conform to the crowd or continue to chase your dream while navigating feelings of uncertainty and quiet moments of solitude. It’s what I ask myself every day: is it even worth it? I wanted the lyrics to feel very simple and relatable rather than overly poetic, because when you’re actually lost in your thoughts, you don’t speak in perfectly constructed sentences. Your brain is just running in twenty different directions, wondering about your present, your future and everything in between. Musically, we kept the arrangement quite intimate so the emotion could take centre stage. The acoustic elements give it that familiar, almost personal feeling, while the rock elements depict the heroism and guts of a dreamer. I had a clear vision of how I wanted the guitars to sound. I sent voice notes imitating the electric guitar and the same was played in the song.
Tell us more about the music video. Was that depiction of life, at one point, your own reality as well?
It hasn’t been my life in the exact way it’s shown in the video, but I’ve definitely had my moments of uncertainty about what the future was going to look like. I was studying psychology and was navigating what to do next. Then lockdown happened and suddenly everything stood still. That’s when I started putting out covers and, somewhere along the way, I found myself living the passion I had always carried with me. I think everyone reaches a point in life where there’s a little battle happening within. Do you choose to take the leap and follow what your heart is telling you or do you take the path that feels more expected or acceptable to the people around you. That’s really what the music video is about. It explores that internal conflict between the life we’re expected to live and the life we actually want for ourselves. And I think that’s something almost everyone can relate to, in their own way.
Between singing, songwriting and acting, what would you say fuels your purpose and passion the most?
That’s a dangerous question because I refuse to choose! Singing is what I’ve been doing for the longest time, probably the most immediate. But writing and acting are equally a part of who I am. They’re different ways of telling stories and ultimately that’s what I love. Whether I’m singing a line, writing one or saying someone else’s words on screen, it’s all part of being an artiste. So maybe the answer is storytelling. The medium can keep changing.
Sochu Main is streaming stream on all audio and video platforms.
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