Manni Singh/@flyingbeardphotographyWhat do you get when you put bhangra, hip-hop and heavy metal together?
Just some of the genres that have inspired singer Raf-Saperra
The 26-year-old British Punjabi artist puts this tapestry down to his “eclectic upbringing” in south London.
Born to two immigrant parents who moved to the UK in the late 1980s, Raf says his background sets him apart from other Punjabi artists.
“My village isn’t somewhere in Jalandhar or Lahore. It’s in Lambeth, it’s in Streatham Hill,” he says.
Known for hits such as Modern Mirza and N.L.S., Raf has accumulated over 50 million streams, charting on both the Asian Music and British Asian charts.
‘Walk before we run’
Listen to his music, heritage shines through with Punjabi-language lyrics, but his varied influences from his youth also come through.
“When we were in primary and secondary school, the moment UK grime was having, and then how that turned into UK rap,” he says.
He name-checks qawwali singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, bhangra artist Jazzy B, hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and rock icons Black Sabbath as some of those who’ve inspired his music.
“I slowly but surely take a little bit from here and a little bit from there and apply it to myself in the most organic manner,” he says.
That wide-ranging list is why he describes himself as “genre-bending”, and wanting to take a “rule-breaking approach” to his songs.
Manni Singh/@flyingbeardphotographySouth Asian music has seen a stratospheric rise over the past few years, with the likes of Diljit Dosanjh and AP Dhillon playing at Coachella and collaborations with western stars such as Ed Sheeran and Sia.
Raf himself played at Mirchi Fest – a South Asian music festival in Amsterdam – and is playing this weekend at another the inaugural Breaking Borders in Malta.
The new festival has been dubbed by some as a “South Asian Coachella”.
And while he is grateful to be in an era which is enjoying the fruits of the foundation laid by earlier artists, he admits it can feel “bittersweet”.
“Because we as an industry, especially, the Punjabi side of stuff, we still have to realise that a lot of this is new,” he says.
“We have to walk before we run.
“I know a lot of artists in the scene might want to come into the game and immediately say: ‘I want an arena show’.
“It doesn’t necessarily work like that,” he says, acknowledging how much more he needs to do to reach the top.
Gagan Singh/@gaguphotosBut building on the success of those that have come before is, he says, part of his motivation.
“What I want to achieve and what motivates me is the same thing.
“And it’s representation.
“We can’t just be building amongst ourselves.
“We need to, as South Asians, also take responsibility in making tasteful art, so then it does translate outside of our diaspora,” he says.
So how does Raf go about doing that?
His process for making music follows a similar, patient, manner, he says, adding he can be “quite introverted” when starting to make music.
“I’ve not had a godfather in this industry.
“I’ve gotten as far as I’ve gotten by listening to that feeling in my gut, and I think that is the main process.”
Raf says if something sounds “corny, whack or just mediocre”, he won’t contemplate releasing it.
But that’s not to say he’s afraid of trying different things.
His new EP Renaissance, which came out in July, was described by Canadian producer Ikky as a “sonic rebirth”.
“That was a soundscape that I was exploring for the first time, because it was me diving into Punjabi pop,” he says.
Raf is keen, however, to “make sure the core Raf-Saperra fans shouldn’t feel alienated” listening to anything new.
“It’s very different to anything I’ve done. I still feel I’m kind of finding my feet with it.
“But so far so good,” he says.
