Top Of The Pops - Badshah

Suman Sharma meets up with Punjabi Pop sensation Badshah and comes back impressed

- Suman Sharma

Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, better known as Badshah, is currently the hottest sensation on the Hindi film music scene. The rapper and musician’s recent single She Move It Like is a hit just as his track Akh lad jaave from LoveYatri. Tareefan, from Veere Ki Wedding, was a success too. He smiles and says no one was willing to bank on the film because of its all-female cast. He’s proud of producer Rhea Kapoor, who refuses to be intimidated by the big studios and follows her instincts. It was again Rhea, who gave him his big break earlier in Khoobsurat, where he composed the Abhi toh party shuru hui hai song.

Delhi-based Badshah has studied civil engineering. But he didn’t take it up as a profession. His love for writing lyrics and music made him join a music group in 2006, which had artistes like Yo Yo Honey Singh, Raftaar, Lil Golu, Ikka and Alfaz. He split from Honey in 2012, after six years and ventured out independently. “I wasn’t a trained singer so I had to start from zero. I learnt music programming from Sanket Thakkar. I used to make my own songs,” he recalls. He composed the song, Saturday Saturday in 2012. Its success was limited to Punjab. “But when the song was included by Shashank Khaitan in his Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2013), it became a superhit,” he smiles. Similarly, his number Abhi toh party shuru hui hai was taken in Khoobsurat and went on to enjoy mass popularity. His Haryanvi song Kar gayi chull became a nationwide hit when it was part of Kapoor & Sons (2016). Later, the song Kaala chashma broke records when it became part of Baar Baar Dekho (2016).