I n 2005, Rabbi Shergill’s hit song, Bulla Ki Jaana... from his eponymous debut album catapulted him to instant fame. Having earned various monikers along the way such as ‘urban balladeer’, ‘intelligent musician’ courtesy his brand of folk-rock music, the 39-year-old is now back with his third offering.

Titled 3, the album comprises nine songs, and sees the folk-rock artiste experiment with genres ranging from soft ballads to hip-hop and bhangra. “I’ve given it my best. I’ve dealt with the whole album-making process as a battle and I want it to do well,” says Rabbi, whose last album, Avengi Ja Nahin released in 2008.

For his latest record, Rabbi has also collaborated with American rapper J Nu for the song Cabaret Weimar…, which derives its title from the pre-Hitler period in Germany that witnessed a flourishing arts and culture scene. “In the song, J Nu has really spoken about his life and rapped about social issues, bringing in the irony of our existence,” informs Rabbi.

His music label Universal Music has also tied-up with a youth channel to hunt for a female face for the music video for his new song, Ganga…. He says, “Since the song is about a girl who is in touch with herself, we are looking for someone who embodies a wild and free spirit. She has to be someone who lives off the land and defies conventions.”

The singer however, admits that it hasn’t been a smooth ride since he released his first album. “Life has been intense. It has been a constant tiebreaker for the past few years because of the slump in the indie music industry. But I’m ready to fight because this is my station in life. Besides the media, I feel that music fans also need to be responsible. They should at least come out and support our music. It’s my open plea to everyone to listen to indie musicians.”Rabbi returns after four years