Ashok Mastie: I wanted to create a song that would lift everyone’s spirts

Punjabi singer-songwriter Ashok Mastie has released a track, Hausla Na Chaddin, which also features some of the biggest names from the Punjabi entertainment industry.

Communities from across the globe have been trying to keep everyone’s spirits up, as the world fights this relentless crusade against the Covid - 19 crisis. Punjabi singer-songwriter, Ashok Mastie has released a song which also features some of the biggest stars of Punjabi entertainment industry such as Daler Mehandi, Mika Singh and Gurpreet Ghuggi among others. The song, titled Hausla Na Chaddin, Ashok says, is to urge people to stay motivated.

“Me and my family have been staying in Mumbai, ever since this lockdown was implemented. [For the ] First few days we were doing fine,[but] then this feeling of loneliness and helplessness started to creep in. I figured that majority of us will be going through the same and so, I asked a writer friend of mine to write something which lifts ones’ spirit,” Mastie tells us.

 

“I didn’t have a proper studio set up. So we used quilts and cardboards to soundproof the room, and to get the acoustics right. The song, I think was composed in five minutes. I came up with the basic melody while washing my hands!” he laughs.

The video, which features Mastie along with some of the biggest Punjabi stars, was entirely shot on smartphones. “When I called them, most of them were like we want too want to do something, and they jumped on the idea. So every one did their own shoot, as you can see in the video and all of these videos were short on smartphones,” he reveals.

Ever since the song has been released, Mastie has been inundated with phone calls and messages, with people from across the globe thanking him for releasing such a song. “A friend of mine who stays in Delhi called me a couple of days back, and told me how this song helped him come out of a depressed state. He told me he was really worried about how things will get back to normal, and said that after listening to the song, he had some hope again,” says Mastie.

“Yet another person called me from Canada and thanked me for creating this. There have been so many calls and messages that I have received from people. It is nice to be able to spread a message of positivity and hope in times like these,” he signs off.