Tirath Sandhu, who goes by the stage name of tricksingh, draws inspiration from his Punjabi heritage and creates culturally blended reiterations. His bilingual rap and globalised sounds attract listeners from around the world. In just three releases, tricksingh has gained a reputation for his contagious energy and unconventional compositions. We spoke with him to learn more about his music, creative process, and the changing landscape of Punjabi music.
Tell us about your relationship with music and your beginnings as a rapper.
I’ve been listening to music ever since I can remember. My dad used to have cassettes of Abba and others, and I’d wait for car rides just so I could listen to them. In fifth grade, I discovered I naturally had a knack for singing through school music trials. Later, I became the lead singer for my school choir and then in a band. I play five instruments too — guitar, keyboard, mouth organ, tambourine, and a little bit of violin. So musicality was sort of innate in me.
When I decided to become an artist, I created indie acoustic songs. I made an LP that I never released, but I played gigs with it. The performances were fun but indie acoustic wasn’t exactly my energy. It didn’t align with how I project my personality in an environment like that. Something felt amiss, so I put music on the backseat and focused on my career. Eventually, I realised I couldn’t stay away from my passion of making music, and wanted to try something different. That’s when I came up with my artist name tricksingh. It's a play on my childhood nickname Trix, an ode to my culture and a verb (trixing). It spells out my intention surrounding music. I want to be playful and authentic while embracing Indian soundscapes.
What's your creative process?
I don't complicate my writing process, I write when I'm hit with inspiration. When I began making music, I just had an idea of what I wanted it to sound like — I had the production and verses done, but I lacked the proper equipment. So when I walk into the studio, I’m extremely tunnel visioned about what I want and how I want my song to sound like, and all that’s left is the actual recording part. In a way, my music is polished before I enter the studio.
Another thing that takes the pressure away from the act of creating is that I’m also not looking to lean into music as my main bit — I have a full time job and that’s my bread and butter. Music is an outlet for me where I can experiment and treat it like my playground, so I use it to show up as authentically as possible.
How would you describe your sound?
I want to take elements from Punjabi culture and juxtapose them with elements from Western culture in a way that one uplifts the other. I want my music to be for everyone, not just people who know Punjabi. Which is why, all of my releases have been bilingual in order to be accessible to people everywhere.
Musical influences?
I’ve always enjoyed older artists like Amar Singh Chamkila and new wave Punjabi rappers like Wazir Patar. But my agenda is to bring a Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar type of energy into the scene, where you can’t pinpoint the genre and it's all very experimental. Besides that, I feel the biggest personalities globally in music are known for the brand they create for themselves beyond music. They expand on other verticals as well. I want to do the same, whether it's in fashion, which I take quite seriously, or anything else that appeals to me.
Mainstream Punjabi music has always been repackaged to talk about mostly watered down themes. Do you feel the landscape is evolving?
It is. There's a space for artists with a unique sound and storytelling. I think people are becoming sick of the same old stuff too. The youth are more likely to experiment and listen to newer genres. With my music too, I’m keeping it groovy, keeping it fun, while also retaining the Punjabi sounds and culture. The audience has been extremely receptive to it too, people have reached out to me saying I need to drop more music in the sound and space I'm occupying cause it's never been done before. There needs to be a sweet spot between commercial and authentic because there's definitely room for it.
Plans for 2023?
I plan on releasing my debut EP Desh Darshan. It’ll be my musical tour of the country where I get to introduce myself as an artist. I’ll be taking influences from all over India and blending them with elements from the Western world, and rap in my traditional bilingual style. My music will also have more depth next year, so I’m excited to see how that goes. I want to consistently drop music in 2023 — this year I just took my time to test waters and see what sticks.
Text: Nandini Chand
Date: 27-12-2022