I carry my tradition from the north-east: Zubeen Garg

Although an illustrious name in the music circuit of north-east India for over two decades, singer Zubeen Garg shot to fame in Bollywood with the hit number, Ya Ali (Gangster; 2006). With an expansive repertoire spanning around 15,000 songs across many languages, Garg’s career has seen a meteoric rise in the region, elevating him to the status of a home-grown rock star.

With his new Hindi album, titled Pakeezah, which comes out six years after his last Hindi album, he hopes to reach out to a larger audience. “A lot of people had been asking me when I would release my new album, so here it is. You will see a different side of me in this one. There’s a mix of western, Indian and Sufi elements. At the same time, I have carried my tradition, from the north-east, in it,” says Zubeen, about the album that features eight songs.

Currenly, he is juggling the ongoing Bihu festival concerts in Assam with three regional movies in which he is also acting. “I hope to be back in Mumbai after wrapping up these things. We are also working on the music videos of three of the songs in the album,” he says.

With an array of independent albums behind him, Zubeen laments the lack of avenues for musicians to release their own work today. “Those days (the ’90s, when the music industry was flourishing) need to come back. My label has been very supportive, and I hope the trend spreads,” he says.