Area 06’ is close to my heart, as this region has shaped my career-Riar Saab

Reintroducing Frenzzy (from Aavrutti) as Riar Saab in a new avatar and bringing a fresh wave of Punjabi music; the 23-year-old who has been mentored by DIVINE has announced his fresh single ‘Area 06’, just released via Gully Gang Entertainment today.

Hailing from Dhupai in Gurdaspur, Punjab, he grew up shuttling between the big city of Mumbai and his ancestral village to pursue his calling in music, which encouraged him further to develop a unique sound that fuses traditional Punjabi sonic sensibilities with contemporary hip-hop soundscapes.

In the single, Riar Saab pays homage to his ‘pind’ (ancestral village) whilst flexing his unique homegrown aspirational vibe in the music video. Taking inspiration from authentic Punjabi songwriting, this banger of a track is sure to make listeners nostalgic!

Riar Saab brings a unique flavour to his writing, delivery and performance that solidifies his position as one of the promising mainstays of the homegrown hip-hop and Punjabi music industry.In this freewheeling chat with Loudest, he talks about his albums and music journey. Excerpts from an edited interview:

Q1.Hello,Tell us about your musical journey?

A.I started off with singing at family functions and as I grew up I got introduced to Hip-Hop. I shifted to rap music with my collective Aavrutti and we did a full length album. Now I am trying to bring together these two distinct backgrounds and fusing them together to create the next wave of Punjabi music.

Q2.Tell us about Riar Saab.

A.Riar is my surname and it is how I am addressed when I go back to my pind (village). I didn’t want to pick a stage name that my family and fellow villagers did not resonate with and I also wanted to represent my heritage on the grandest stages

Q3.What was the inspiration behind the concept of the song? How did it come about?

A.Aakash, the producer, sent me this beat and I instantly vibed with it. I immediately sat down to write it and drew inspiration from my pind (ancestral village) and my experiences there

Q4.How do you feel about the great response received by your fans to the video?

A.I am extremely grateful and at the same time motivated to do more. I would like to thank the the whole team behind the track - Aakash (producer), Pixl (engineer), Kabir (director), and the rest of the crew. Really pumped to create more music now!

Q5.Tell us about your upcoming projects?

A.I will continue dropping singles along with which I am looking to collaborate with other artists -both producers and singers. Everything will happen at its own pace, but I do have some big singles coming up.