High, low & in-between

Gurnaaz Kaur

Keeping it from his family and friends, Sursagar decided to participate in the auditions of Zee Punjabi’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. This was in September last year. What began with sending a video back then has today changed the course of his life!

Declared the winner of the show on Independence Day, Sursagar reminisces all the happy moments of this beautiful journey. “It has been a long and fruitful one year for me. Since I belong to a family of musicians, I did not think my father would like the idea of auditioning or participating in a show but I wanted to take my chance.”

Initially 100 people were selected from Ludhiana, Amritsar and Chandigarh. Then a selection round was held in Chandigarh where 60 were eliminated. “We had a workshop after that and under the guidance of our mentors we were made to prepare five songs. Selection in this round meant being among the top 18 and going to Mumbai. Once I cleared that round I told my family members about it.”

With every stage, the competition got tougher and the excitement level went higher. “It was in January that the show started to telecast on TV. After 26 rounds of grilling, we had six people left in the finals…” and then the nation got hit by the pandemic. Beginning the lockdown, there was a new set of challenges to deal with—beat corona blues. The show came to a halt and so did all the plans about life.

“It was telecast on repeat for all these months and that meant a delay in realising my dream. I participated in the show to be able to get recognised and hopefully get a break in the film industry. I want to sing for films.”

Sursagar already has a few devotional songs and a couple of Punjabi songs to his credit. Two of which he says have done very well. “My song DP has over four million views.” But that doesn’t change the fact that he has had to struggle. “Even though I have been singing since the age of seven, there are still not many live shows. It’s an every-day struggle to get work.”

With the low also came a high. He became popular, got time to spend with family, learnt cooking and most importantly honed his skill. “I think it was a blessing in disguise. I have grown as a singer. I credit it to the show. It gave us the platform to explore various genres and develop a style. One had to be prepared for last-minute changes. The tips by judges, including Gurdas Maan, Jaidev, Sonu Kakkar and Jazzy B, were of immense help. It has changed me as a person.”

And the result probably changed a whole lot of things. “It has been a week since I was declared the winner and I feel like a star. I have been getting calls from all over the world. People are messaging me to appreciate my work. The day I returned from Mumbai, my father and the whole town of of Nawanshahr was there to welcome me with dhol-nagare.”

All that he is now waiting for is to shoot videos for the songs he has already recorded. It’s a new beginning, in a way!

gurnaaz@tribunemail.com