"'Old Town Road' has a cowboy western aesthetic and the closest thing that came to my mind was that wandering spirit and 'Ramta Jogi’ has a bit of mysticism to it. With "Old Town Road vs Ramta Jogi", Tesher mashed Sukhwinder Singh's track "Ramta Jogi" from "Taal" soundtrack, which was composed by Rahman, with Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road". His claim to fame was his 2019 track "Old Town Road vs Ramta Jogi" which went viral on TikTok in 2019, leading listeners to discover his earlier discography. Having grown up listening to Indian and Western hip-hop music, Tesher counts A R Rahman, Kanye West, Blue Veins, Sukhwinder Singh, Sukshinder Shinda, Bally Sagoo and Himesh Reshammiya as his inspiration. One can be successful both in our native diaspora as well as just America and the mainstream western world as well," he added. "If BTS can do it, there's no reason that I or any other South Asian artists can't do it. Tesher gave the example of "BTS", the K-pop group that found a die-hard fan following in the US as well as in other countries with their music. I think a pop artist in America can be an artist that sings not only in Hindi, but Punjabi, English, Spanish and all different kinds of languages." "Anytime we had an Indian artist blow up in America, they usually had to fully go the Western route, but I think people's tastes have evolved so that they don't have to categorise it in the world of music anymore. Gone are the days when artists were looking for fame and recognition in the US as Tesher believes that musicians can get the best of both worlds - the West and their native country. And then, go to America and make a song with like J Balvin or something," Tesher added.
I want to be able to go to India and maybe make a string of Bollywood songs. "I am from two worlds, so it makes sense that I make music for both. The 28-year-old actor said since he comes from two different worlds, his music should cater to both.
You should embrace both cultures, you need to find your balance," Tesher told PTI in an interview. But at the same time, I had a good grasp of Western society as well. My parents are from India, we spoke Hindi, Punjabi, watched movies and attended Indian functions. Tesher calls himself "fully Canadian" but at the same time, the musician is aware and proud of his Indian heritage. The rapper-singer, whose real name is Hitesh Sharma, was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada. Canadian-Indian artist Tesher on blurring boundaries with music: You need to find your balanceĬanadian-Indian musician Tesher, best known for his singles "Old Town Road vs Ramta Jogi", "Young Shahrukh" and "Jalebi Baby", hopes his songs have a universal appeal and reflect both the cultures he grew up in.