‘I am always in search of answers’

Singer-Songwriter Baksheesh Singh Lamba, 23, has come a long way from performing at open mics and composing music for storytellers and poets in Delhi to recently releasing his first single, Mila Na Tu. “I owe the song to filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar and producer Dhruv Vishwanath. Without their help it would not have been possible,” says Lamba, elated that the song has been well-received. 

“I first wrote two verses of it in 2015, just after passing out of school. Two years ago, I added another verse. Bejoy heard the song at a jam session in Mumbai and liked it a lot, and told me that he wants to use it in one of his movies. I had loved the soundtrack of Shaitaan (2011), the film Bejoy directed. So, working with him was like a dream come true,” says Lamba, appreciating Nambiar’s support. “Dhruv Visvanath has done a beautiful job on the production. He is a genius when it comes to understanding the feel of a song,” he adds. 

Born and brought up in Lajpat Nagar, Lamba completed his schooling from St George’s School at Alaknanda and graduated from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. “I had a band with my college mates, and we used to perform at Jugmug Thela (Saket), Social (Hauz Khas VIllage) and Informal (Connaught Place).” After graduation, Lamba moved to Mumbai in 2018, and began performing at open mic platforms like Unease Poetry, Spill Poetry and Komune. “I was also a Ghumakkadi kalakaar with Motojojo.co, and have given music for poets and storytellers like Priya Malik, Sainee Raj and Gopal Dutt,” he informs. 

Lamba has been fascinated by words and music since early childhood. “I grew up with people who loved music and sang well though none of them were in the music business,” he says, adding, “My earliest memory of music is playing with empty rice containers when I was three.

My grandmother and my mother would teach me hymns from Guru Granth Sahib, and my father would sing Bollywood songs to make me sleep at night. He also wrote poetry.” A wide cross-section of artistes and places form his musical influences. “It can be the hymns at home or the bands that I love or the folk music.

A major inspiration for my writing comes from Sufi music and poetry. I am always in search of answers and my songs reflect that,” he says.  If Delhi gave him foundation, Mumbai gave wings to his imagination: “Delhi will always be about childhood and all its experiences while Mumbai will always be a city which helps me grow. The last two years have been very dynamic.

I have learned so much, jamming with strangers every week on Marine Drive and in the streets.” Lamba is currently working on his next Punjabi single, Ni aja Ve. It’s about a mother calling her son home from the battle field. “I want to focus on improving my writing, experiment more, and don’t want to be stuck doing one type of music or one style of  writing,” he signs off. 

Musical influences
A wide cross-section of artistes and places form his musical influences: “It can be the hymns at home or the bands that I love or the folk music. A major inspiration is Sufi music and poetry.”