Ear to the ground

Simran Goraya aka Mr WOW music director producer singer and lyricist in Punjabi music industry is excited to talk about the upcoming Punjabi film Parahuna which is slated for release on September 28

Updated At : 06:09 AM Sep 14, 2018 IST

Simran Goraya. Photo: Manoj Mahajan

Amarjot Kaur

Simran Goraya aka Mr WOW, music director, producer, singer, and lyricist in Punjabi music industry, is excited to talk about the upcoming Punjabi film Parahuna which is slated for release on September 28. With more than ten years in the industry, Simran first started writing lyrics for Punjabi songs, way back in 2007. “With no luck, even after releasing two or three songs, I later took to singing,” he says. Unlike most musicians in the industry, Simran is formally educated in music. He also holds a Master’s Degree in English literature. “I even had a small stint with Engineering back in Ludhiana, where I graduated in music and did my post-graduation in English literature. There I was selected as Mr Gabru, for my singing and writing skills, but I didn’t feel like pursuing Engineering, so I dropped out,” says the 33-year-old.

Since 2009, Simran has had a somewhat successful run in Punjabi music industry. His hit songs include Hassian Khedian by Ammy Virk, Doomna by Ammy Virk, Chhori by Mika Singh, Shoot Da Order by Neele Nain Collaboration and Topus among many more. While this is Simran’s first film, he’s been treading on the territory carefully. “I first read the script of the film and liked it very much. It’s a comedy film and all songs in the film are situational. In fact, I have made it a point to make some 16 to 32 bars of extra music which could be used as a background score of the film too,” he adds.

Having studied music, Simran feels that Punjabi music industry is struggling to find a balance between the business and art of music. “It’s a tricky thing. Owners of music labels run it like a business, sometimes not understanding the talent, especially if it is against the tide of trends. I feel, there’s a need for Punjabi music industry to change by including local talent,” he opines.

Simran’s also coming up with new songs that feature Bohemia, Sippy Gill, Anmol Gagan Mann and many more famous artists. Recently, he did an international music project Teeyan Punjab Diyan 2018, collaborating with 30-40 Punjabi female singers. “This is the first time we got so many female Punjabi singers on board. I even did a project for Lohri this year, where I brought together some 20 Punjabi singers to collaborate,” he shares.

He is also making music for the second edition of Punjabi film Mitti, which is produced by Hema Malini.