Interview: Singer Harrdy Sandhu on his latest single Kya Baat Ay and how he became a musician

Harrdy Sandhu started his musical career back in 2012 with Tequila Shot, but what truly got him fame was his 2017 dance numbers — Backbone and Naah. The former made him the first Indian singer to garner more than 100 million views in five months of a song release. It wouldn’t be too much to say that Harrdy breaks his own records, raising the bar with every new track. This time, the Mumbai-based singer has worked on a song quite different from his previous ones. Released by Sony Music India and written by Jaani Johan, Kya Baat Ay is a buoyant melody, which had 10 million views in two days. After a series of groovy songs, Harrdy quite seamlessly shifts to being melodic with his mellifluous voice in Kya Baat Ay. The tempo for this track is rather slow, but the quintessential ‘Harrdy Sandhu touch’ — foot-tapping beats and catchy Punjabi lyrics — is what grabs your attention. 

Harrdy’s music videos are nothing less than a film, and he agrees to this statement instantly. “I do give videos a lot of importance. The director and I conceptualise an idea and work on it for long. For Kya Baat Ay, we shot in Istanbul and reduced the dancing because the focus is on vocals,” says the 32-year-old. In Naah, however, Harrdy was seen matching dance moves with Moroccan-Canadian dancer Nora Fatehi. “That was fun! I started practising 15 days ahead,” he shares. 

A roller coaster ride
Although Harrdy has now made a name for himself, becoming a singer wasn’t his first choice. Having represented India at the Under-19 level, he always wanted to be a professional cricketer and has played with the likes of Ishant Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. However, an injury in 2006 forced him to give up on the sport and move to Australia. “IPL started around the same time, when I moved to Australia and I saw my juniors playing in the league. That made me depressed. So, I came back to get started with the sport again but suffered another injury,” he recollects. 

Music wasn’t an unknown field for Harrdy. Growing up, he was quite a sensation back in his school and college days. “I didn’t undergo any training in music, but was the official singer in every family function. When cricket didn’t work out, I knew music was what I wanted to do,” he says. In the coming months, the Chandigarh-born singer wishes to release more originals and compose for movies. 

Kya Baat Ay is available on YouTube.