Saturday, October 19, 2002
M A I N   F E A T U R E


ZEROING IN ON...
The music director who fuses the best of East and West
Dharam Pal

Santokh Singh’s album Canada is due for release soon
Santokh Singh’s album Canada is due for release soon

IN his childhood, Santokh Singh cherished the desire to make it big in the world of music. He wanted to sing and compose music. Today this young man from Sriganganagar is a music director. He was the chief assistant to music director duo Sajid-Wajid, who came out with popular albums like Deewana and Khoya Khoya Chand and composed music for films like Baagi, Khauf, Hello Brother, Maa Tujhe Salaam, Tumko Na Bhool Payenge, Shararat and Chori Chori.

The year 2002 began on a promising note for this young music director with the release of his first independent album Sanwaria with Universal. Another album by him called Canada with T-Series will be released soon. A few more albums and films are in the pipeline.

In Sanwaria, Santokh Singh has given a chance to upcoming singer Bobby Singh and already established singer Jaspinder Narula. Arif Dehalvi, Sahib Allahabadi and Rakesh Maanjhi have penned the lyrics for Sanwaria, which is a mix of both Indian and western music.

 


Santokh firmly believes in the age-old adage ‘‘work is worship’’. He says he puts in a lot of work to make his compositions, which cater to every mood. Though all forms of music are appreciated, he feels that a mix of Indian and western music is currently ruling the roost. "I believe in soft melodious compositions packaged and promoted well. My style is a mixture of creativity and commerce,’’ says Santokh.

"The response to fusion music in Sanwaria has been excellent because my compositions are catchy and moreover I had already come up with remix albums for T-Series also."

Santokh is also making a mark for himself as a music director in Bollywood. He is working with director Manoj Aggarwal, who was associated with Hadh Kardi Aapne. Particular about the quality of his work, Santokh says on an average he works on an album for three months. ‘‘While I do not compromise on the quality, I try to do the packaging in such a way that it appeals to the common man because sales are as important as good music,’’ says Santokh.

Trained under the able guidance of Ustad Nawab Khan, Ustad Shahid Khan, Sajid-Wajid and Pandit Dayal Thakur, Santokh has a long way to go, but he is happy that his work is being appreciated and his talent is getting due recognition.