Punjab born. Delhi bred. Music in her soul. Breaking stereotypes. Step by step. Meet Rashmeet Kaur – singer-songwriter.
Rashmeet’s introduction to the world of music started at the age of 6 with ‘Gurmat’ sangeet and harmonium lessons from her mother. After receiving formal training from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Delhi & Gurmat Sangeet training from her teacher Jasvinder Kaur, Rashmeet started showcasing her talent on various musical platforms such as Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Asia’s Singing Superstar and more. From winning the Mirchi Music Awards, Bangla for “Upcoming Female Voice of the year” to becoming the first ever winner of “The Remix” – Amazon Prime Originals music reality show to creating jingles for various ads, Rashmeet has come a long way.
With her debut album ‘Kaura’ out in the universe, we spoke to the singer and woman of many talents about her musical journey. Here’s what she has to say…
CH: Tell us a little bit about your debut album ‘Kaura’. From idea to execution, how has it all come about?
Rashmeet Kaur: I never thought Kaura was going to be an album. Initially, I was just compiling some ideas as singles and slowly I started collaborating with people and it just became 12 songs. We kept adding more songs and then I thought it would nice to put out an album. I believe in delivering music in bulk, not as a single. Singles are a trend, but I think when you have more ideas and more music you should definitely consider delivering in bulk.
CH: You’ve collaborated with some leading Indian hip-hop artists like Wazir, Ikka, Seedhe Maut, GD47 and more on this album. How has the experience been?
Rashmeet Kaur: I’ve collaborated with 13 artists, just the featuring artists who are singer-songwriters and rappers. Apart from them, there are ten producers, writers, mixing engineers and a lot of other people. And when there are so many people, you get to learn a lot. The experience has been incredible! It’s not been all that easy though. Creating a single is easy but collaboration takes a lot of hard work. You need to take follow-ups from the people who are writing. You can’t force an artist, they have to be in a good zone. And all this takes a lot of patience and effort, and that’s why collaborations teach you way more than singles.
CH: What has been the inspiration behind Kaura?
Rashmeet Kaur: The inspiration behind this album is a lot of people in the West who have been creating music for decades now and this is what artist communities are all about. It’s about coming together, writing your thoughts together and releasing something fresh. Community building has been the biggest inspiration behind this album. As you can see, there’s a not a single solo track. It’s all riding on collaborative verses from different artists while maintaining my strong hooks and verses. Drake released ‘For All the Dogs’ where all his artist friends gave verses. This has inspired me quite a bit – to collaborate, be open-minded and work with different artists so you can create something entirely different.
CH: As a musician, who have been your biggest influences?
Rashmeet Kaur: It’s hard to point one person. There have been countless influences over the period of time. However, my constant influences have been Beyoncé, John Mayer, Bruno Mars to name a few. My recent influences for Kaura have been Kendrick Lamar, Pakistani folk artists, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and countless other people. And you can see hints of these influences in Kaura.
CH: Your journey in the music industry so far?
Rashmeet Kaur: It’s been full of ups and downs. It’s been full of challenges, achievements, successful moments and a mix of a lot of others things. It’s a never-ending, ‘never-give up attitude’ journey where I keep experimenting with my art and try to deliver something out of the box. I believe in enjoying the journey. The destination keeps changing but the journey is what most people tend to forget. So I’ve been enjoying this journey thoroughly. Every day, I wake up with so many thoughts – some come to life, some take years but the whole point is to enjoy it.
CH: What is the message you want to spread to your audience through ‘Kauraverse’?
Rashmeet Kaur: The one message I want to spread through Kauraverse is to tell people to take their time to create art, to make something, to make a song, to make an idea. Take time to make your art and practice on yourself every day and try to improve yourself as an artist and as a human being, both. Because this is the only way to grow and create something timeless.
CH: What else is coming up in 2024?
Rashmeet Kaur: Right now I’m enjoying my album release. It’s just been a few days and it’s doing pretty well. People are listening to it and I’m receiving so much love. It’s going to spread slowly and gradually, but it’s going to stay for a long time – I hope and I wish for that! Besides, there are a lot of film releases and there a lot of solo songs ready but I don’t think I want to release anything yet. Kaura took three-four years to make, so I’d rather give it time to spread in the universe. After that, I have a bunch of songs planned for a later release.
Listen to the full album here:
