The spotlight on Satinder Sartaaj has never been brighter with his track, Jaiye Sajana, with Jasmine Sandlas for the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar 2 dominating social media feeds and streaming playlists since its release. Despite the buzz, the singer-poet remains unfazed, choosing instead to maintain his composure and focus on balancing his Bollywood work with his journey as an independent music artist.
On viral Jaiye Sajana
Hindustan Times recently caught up with the Punjabi singer just before he set the stage alight with his soulful music against the iconic backdrop of Purana Qila at the Jahan-e-Khusrau World Sufi Music Festival.
Bring up the topic of his song from Aditya Dhar‘s Dhurandhar 2, which is working well at the box office, going viral. To this, Satinder laughs and gives the credit to his luck and the team behind the Bollywood film.
“Ab woh toh hai… isko aab Itefaaq kahiye, meri khushkismati ya niyamat kahiye… Yeh khaas taur par unki team ko credit jata hai. Sara sehra film ke crew ko jata hai hai humara toh bas naam lag gaya hai (Well, you can call it a coincidence, my good fortune, or a blessing… The credit really goes to their team. All the applause belongs to the film crew; we just happen to have our name attached to the song),” Satinder tells us with a chuckle.
During the conversation, he notes, “Dekhiye main zindagi mein kuch expect nahi karta, jab aap chhodh dete ho raza mein toh barkat zyada hoti hai (I don’t expect anything in life. When you let go and accept things as they come, the blessings are more).”
Amid the whirlwind success of Jaiye Sajana, Satinder has already shifted gears, hitting the road with his tour across India while also diving into new musical projects.
So is Bollywood not his sole focus? “Yes, that’s true… Sirf Bollywood hi aim nahi hai. Doosre kaam pe bhi focus hai (My focus is not limited to just Bollywood, and working on different things),” says the singer, who was born in Bajrawar village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district.
Talking about being unfazed by the fame and popularity coming his way, Satinder says, “Abhi toh main concerts and tours mein hi busy hun. Abhi aur gaane aayenge Bollywood mein mere, but woh sab maine pehle hi record karke rakhe hue hai. Release abhi honge (Right now, I’m completely busy with concerts and tours. More songs of mine will come out in Bollywood, but I’ve already recorded them earlier – they just haven’t been released yet).”
He continues, “I don’t keep a track of when the song will be out, and the reaction to it… In fact, there are times when I have found out that a song of mine has been released only once it is out… In fact, when the song Rang (Sky Force) came out, I was performing in Hyderabad, and got to know about the release after my performance. So, this is how I am.”
On independent work
Apart from Jaiye Sajana, Satinder, who holds an honours degree in music, followed by an MPhil and a PhD in Sufi singing from Punjab University, Chandigarh, is known for songs such as Sai, Sajjan Raazi, Udaarian, Rutba, Tere Bina Na Guzara E, and Ikko – Mikke.
Going forward, he wants to continue balancing between his commercial work and independent music. And he says it is not tough at all.
“Mushkil nahi hai… You just have to be content with your inner self as a creative human being. If that if there, it is not tough at all… That’s also because you don’t have to manage anything… It just happens very naturally and organically,” he stresses.
In fact, his choice to perform at a Sufi music festival, even amid the ongoing buzz around his Dhurandhar 2 song, reflects this mindset.
“The audience who will come to a Sufi festival will be very different from the people who come to watch my performance at JLN Stadium…it is interesting for me to see such things and perform as per the festival’s demands,” he shares.
