Two of the greatest forces of Punjabi music — actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh and veteran singer Gurdas Maan — have joined forces for the reimagined version of the iconic track ‘Challa’.
The song, which is almost four decades old, has been given a new texture by the two popular singers.
Speaking about the project, Gurdas Maan said: “Close to 40 years ago, we created the original ‘Challa’. I thought it is time to revisit the classic again. What better way to do it than with Diljit. The song ‘Challa’ means the world to me. It represents celebration, union and separation in the most earthy and Punjabi way. It is a song that is very special to both Diljit and myself, so it was an incredible experience being able to recreate it with him.”
Diljit said: “‘Challa’ is an iconic Punjabi song that is close to our hearts and very special to me. It means a lot to me to have been able to recreate it with Gurdas Maan Saab, and I hope that when the listeners hear it, they will feel the same connection with it as we have all these years.”
In addition, Nimrat Khaira and Tarsem Jassar have also released their tracks.
While Nimrat’s track is titled ‘Raanjha’ which is a romantic number, Tarsem’s track is called ‘Maan Punjabi’ which is about Punjabi identity.
All the three songs are Spotify singles and are part of the audio streaming platform’s collaboration with the Punjabi music stars.
Nimrat said: “I have been wanting to record a Punjabi folk song for a long time, and this Spotify Singles opportunity came at the right time. ‘Raanjha’ is a song that is very close to my heart. We went through several options of folk songs, but once I dubbed ‘Raanjha’, I knew we had arrived at the song we wanted to make.”
All the songs are currently available to stream on Spotify.
Tarsem said: “‘Maan Punjabi’ is a song that is very close to my heart. It depicts the character of Punjab, Punjabi, and Punjabiyat. Creating this song as a Spotify Single has been an extremely memorable experience for me and I look forward to the listeners enjoying it as much as I have enjoyed creating it.”
According to Spotify Wrapped, the year-end campaign that highlights what listeners streamed in India, ‘Excuses’ by A.P. Dhillon, Intense, and Gurinder Gill was the most streamed song on Spotify in India, while the late Sidhu Moose Wala’s ‘Moosetape’ the most-streamed album.
Additionally, four out of the 10 most streamed songs in India were in Punjabi.
