Indian rapper, singer, songwriter and music producer Badshah has just released his new album “Ek Tha Raja” (Indeed, There Was a King).
It is the third studio album by musician born Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia and called Badshah, after “ONE (Authentic Never Ends)” (2018) and “The Power of Goals of a Child” (2020). He also has several hit singles to his credit and has contributed to several Bollywood soundtracks including “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania” (2014), “Khandaani Shafakhana” (2019), where he also made his acting debut. music celebrity role and “Jawan” (2023), starring Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.
Khan narrates the album’s announcement video, a four-minute cinematic filled with armed gangsters, helicopters, personal planes and palatial mansions. Badshah approached Khan’s administration in the final minute with the request for narration. “The next day, I received a half-hour file with these seven dialogues spoken in different sentiments and that day I discovered why Shah Rukh Khan is Shah Rukh Khan because once in it, he gives his 200% and he is just so kind . All these things you heard about him are true,” said Badshah Selection.
On “Ek Tha Raja”, Badshah, who is part of the Common Music Group, performs with several visiting musicians including Draganov from Morocco, Nora Fatehi from Canada and a plethora of Indian artists such as Karan Aujla, Hiten, Divine, Nikhita Gandhi, Raftaar, Aastha Gill, Seedhe Maut, Kr$na, Prajina, Shai, MC Stan, Mehar Vaani, Ikka, Dino James, Fotty Seven, Raga and Sharvi Yadav. He also duets with Arijit Singh, arguably the most popular singer in Bollywood at the time, on the track “Soulmate”.
“I was really excited to work with Arijit Singh because he is someone I think highly of. And, more than that, I was very pleased to be in his company and learn many things from him. Because for me, he is a kind of greater power,” Badshah said. “I composed and wrote the lyrics for the track and sent it to him. When he came back, it was a special track. I was actually crying listening to my composition in his voice. It was an almost supernatural catharsis.”
Badshah says he was excited to work with all the visiting artists on the album. “I’ve worked with them in the past, but that was their home. So this time I was like, I’m in the groove, I have something I’d love for you to do. That’s how I imagined seeing them all in my universe,” Badshah said.
The universe of “Ek Tha Raja” is Badshah’s retrospective on the decade he has been in business and celebrates a jumble of feelings including happiness, disappointment, love, anger and frustration that he experienced as an artist. “I also consider myself a listener and can feel the change of era. I was in search of myself, my character, my new sound, the path I want to follow, the narrative I want to build, the stories I want to tell and therefore this (“Ek Tha Raja”) was the result of all this contemplation,” said Badshah.
Badshah says that as part of the generational shift he experienced, he felt that the sounds, stories and mindsets also changed, and initially he tried to change. “Then I just realized that people want to hear who I am. And other people love me the way I am. So, I don’t want to vary. And that’s what I did with this album, I collaborated with some of the new artists who are doing really good work. I got out of my zone, I got them out of their zones, we gained a central place and tried to create a totally new sound. And that’s the fun of a collaboration. When two songs collide, it’s as if two colors combine to form a new color,” said Badshah.
One of those artists who starts working on their new album while the current one is being released, Badshah is finding the sound for his next release. And while that’s percolating, he’ll embark on The Paagal Tour 2024 with shows in Toronto (May 31), Vancouver (June 1), San Francisco (June 7), Houston (June 8), Dallas (June 9). June) and New Jersey (June 15) with dates for Singapore, Washington DC, Los Angeles and the Netherlands to be announced soon. This follows a sold-out 10-city tour across India.
In addition to the tracks from “Ek Tha Raja”, the live performance playlist contains his previous hits “Jugnu”, “Paani Paani”, “Garmi”, “DJ Waale Babu”, “Lets Nacho”, “Kala Chashma” , “Kar Gayi Chull”, “Genda Phool”, “Abhi Toh Social Gathering Shuru Hui Hai” and “Paagal”.
“I introduce them over time. And that’s what I keep saying, there’s a lot of stress in people’s lives. And when they come to my live performance, they forget everything and immerse themselves in fun and leisure. Maybe they like me, maybe they adore me, when I work with them I feel a lot of love. I’m like that cousin who starts the party,” Badshah said.
“Ek Tha Raja” is released by Common Music Group.
