Arjun Janya and Diljit Dosanjh inspire me: Jaskaran Singh

The singer, whose Kannada song ‘Dwapara’ has gone viral, tells Pranati A S about his journey from Ludhiana to Bengaluru

Sung by Jaskaran Singh, ‘Dwapara’ from the Kannada film ‘Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi’ has topped the charts with over 3.1 crore views on YouTube. The upbeat love song composed by Arjun Janya and written by V Nagendra Prasad is also trending on Instagram with over seven lakh reels. 

Jaskaran hails from Ludhiana, Punjab. He learnt music from Kapil Sharmakar, Hanit Daneja and Avtar Kaur. He shot into the limelight during the music reality show ‘Saregamapa Kannada’. Apart from singing, Jaskaran also plays the harmonium and keyboard.

Excerpts from an interview with the singer: 

What explains the success of the song ‘Dwapara’? 

I’ve been receiving great responses for the song, not just from Karnataka, but also from Haryana, Delhi and other parts of the north. Spotify data shows that the song is doing very well. 

It’s all teamwork. Everyone has put in a lot of effort to make the song. The main credit goes to Arjun Janya and the lyricist Nagendra Prasad. They did a fantastic job.

How did you find Kannada music and make a name in it?

I started learning music when I was 13. Then I started auditioning for reality shows. In 2016, I participated in ‘The Voice India’ show in which I was among the top 40. I realised, with so many talented and hardworking singers, it takes a lot to stand out in the industry where opportunities are few. 

I have been a big fan of the south Indian cinema and its music. In 2018, I participated in ‘Saregamapa Tamil’ and became a finalist. Soon with the Covid-19 pandemic, everything came to a standstill. I then participated in ‘Indian Idol Telugu’. A few songs from there went viral and I received calls from Telugu music directors. I recorded a few songs but I didn’t get the kind of response I wanted. I went back to Punjab and did shows there and other parts of north India. 

Soon I heard about auditions for the 20th season of ‘Saregamapa Kannada’. Arjun Janya, who is also on the jury panel, was the main reason I wanted to participate. Ever since I heard his song ‘Nenne tanaka’ (‘Trivikrama’, 2022), I’ve been a big fan of his music. 

I gave my 100 percent for every performance so I could get an opportunity to work with him. One fine day, it happened. When I sang ‘Jagave neenu’, he promised to work with me. 

I waited for a few months and one day got a call to record ‘Dwapara’. The song started trending on the second day of its release. 

Who are your musical heroes?

Diljit Dosanjh is my role model. I admire him a lot. He has been in the industry for about 25 years now and I’ve seen his journey from my childhood. I want to become like him. He is a great singer
and performer. He’s an all rounder. 

Do you plan to concentrate on Kannada songs? Are you learning Kannada?

While participating in ‘Saregamapa Kannada’, I got a tag called ‘Jas Kannada’. I had promised them to make an album with ‘Jas Kannada’ as the title. I’m working on that now. I’m also recording for a lot of movies. I’ve about 18 to 19 songs. I’ve recorded another song with Arjun Janya which will be released soon. 

I’ve started learning the Kannada language. Right now my friends are teaching me but I’m looking for a tutor so I can learn it properly. 

Anything else you’d like to add?

My family is the biggest reason behind my success. There were a lot of times when I wanted to give up on music. I had also planned to move abroad for higher education. That was around the same time when Saregamapa happened. All the credit goes to my family who have supported me at all times. More importantly, my bade paapa (uncle) who has motivated me from the first day. He stood by my side and motivated me to work hard.