A teen’s tryst with the world of rhythm and rhyme
From his early teens, Harjot Singh loved composing rhymes on life around him – whether current affairs or his personal experiences. Gradually, hobby turned to passion and Harjot, now 18, has transformed into a rap sensation. He has composed more than 45 raps, which have received more than 197,000 hits on YouTube.
Shveata Chandel Singh talks to the teen sensation, who is currently pursuing a course in marketing from TAFE.
How did you get into rapping?
I have been rapping for around three years now. I wasn’t serious about it earlier and used to rap and sing with friends for fun. One of my friends encouraged me to go professional with it. He compared me with American rapper Eminem and that got me thinking. It made think of taking up rapping seriously.
What was your first rap ?
‘Mocking Bird’ . The lyrics are .. “Never thought this day will come, I can’t believe it ….” . One of my best friends was leaving for America and I wrote this song for him. Later, my friends told me to upload it on YouTube. To my surprise, the album received 10 hits in one day, 100 in a week and more than 39055 hits to date.
What inspire your lyrics?
My lyrics are inspired by real life events. I like to rap about myself as whatever is going in my life.
When did you get first chance to perform on stage?
Well, it was the tenth year graduation ceremony in 2011 at St Ives High School. Being student of year 11 of that school, I was invited to perform. At the graduation, I dedicated a song to a year 10 student, Shizuka Ushijima, who died in September 2011. That song was very emotional.
How many stage shows have performed so far?
More than ten. I have performed in various clubs. My performance on Sneaky Dino- Hip-hop Night at Burdekin Hotel, Sydney was well received. I have also performed at Leichhardt Hotel, Parramatta for the label launch by Essence Entertainment. I perform in the community center at St Ives every six months.
Who is your inspiration?
Rappers Eminem, Hopsin and Keiser.
What are your favourite raps?
I just love the classic songs from Eminem. ‘Lose yourself’, a very famous Eminem song, is my favourite.
What next?
I want to take my career in rapping to a higher level. My family backs me 100 per cent in this and that is a great source of encouragement. A lot more music is coming in the future. I have launched, ‘Message to the Ignorant’, a mix tape this March. The album has 11 songs, and is free to download. I have more than 2500 fans on my Facebook page. Hustle Hard TV, an online music video channel is also supporting me, and filming video clips for me. It is just a start, there is long way to go.
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