Posted: 30 May 2022
Trax That Inspire Them: Mandeep Gill (a Lotus Beauty special)
Our Finance Manager and qualified accountant, Mandeep Gill, has been our Chief Money Person since April 2020. But outside of finance, Mandeep enjoys listening to music and is teaching herself how to mix together her favourite Punjabi and English songs. Incredible!
So we asked Mandeep to give us her hot take on what a LOTUS BEAUTY playlist would sound like. Find out what Mandeep picked in this Trax That Inspire Them – Lotus Beauty special. Over to you, Mandeep!
Jaan Jaan by Jazz Aulakh and Simmy
Pinky’s Bonnie & Clyde relationship with Tej captured on a Punjabi drill beat. Our younger generation are pushing Punjabi music forward and I’m here for it. Jaan Jaan is the only Punjabi drill song to feature a female artist, so it was an easy pick for Pinky’s track. If you like this sound, check out Midnight Mob by Nseeb & Jagga, and Moosedrilla by Sidhu Moosewala (Rest in Peace) & Divine too.
Kikkaran De Phull by Mannat Noor
Kikkaran De Phull is song former Miss Punjab Tanni can Giddha to on her Jago night – if she can find a husband that is. Giddha is a traditional women’s dance which displays the exuberance of Punjabi life. It is danced to boliyan (freestyled folk poetry on topics such as husbands and in-laws) and is accompanied by rhythmic clapping. I thank God for Giddha because in a patriarchal society like ours, it’s given generations of women a chance to dress up, come together, express themselves creatively and release their emotions.
Das Main Ki Pyar Wichon Khateya by Lal Chand Yamla Jatt
Das main ki pyar wichon khatya is for Kamal because what did she gain from love? I don’t need to say anything on this one as you’ll feel it (& the bass).
Mama by Raveena
Reita’s on a mission and no one can stop her – she’s solid, right. Wrong. Pinky’s testing her and she’s haunted by her relationship with her own mother, so Raveena’s healing voice on this track is just what she needs. Raveena is an American-Punjabi artist whose family immigrated to Queens, New York after 1984, and the visuals to this song are an ode to all immigrant mums. Enjoy it, it’s beautiful.
Mawan Te Dhiyan Ral by Surinder Kaur
Some songs become the culture and this folk song from the 1940s is one of them. We’re on drill and trap beats now, but this is the raw sound that will take you back to the root. It was the first song recorded by Punjab di Koyal Surinder Kaur in Lahore pre-partition, and it touches on the intergenerational female friendship and support that exists between mothers and daughters. My mum remembers listening to this on the radio with my Beji – they had to listen to songs in secret when the men of the house weren’t there – as my Papaji instructed the radio could only be used to listen to the news! We’ve come so far, but may we never forget where we’ve come from, and may we be able to draw on the strength of our ancestors and elders like Big Dhadhi who paved the way for us.
Satinder Chohan’s LOTUS BEAUTY is playing at Hampstead Theatre until 18 June 2022.