Singer & Rapper - Viruss

“Doing a song for the biggest superstar of Bollywood - Mr. Akshay Kumar - as a debutant is a dream come true!” – Viruss

Singer and rapper Viruss’ debut song Bam Bhole for the film Laxmi starring Akshay Kumar is causing quite a stir in Bollywood. Here he tells Sumita Chakraborty more about his musical journey, fave artiste, Akshay Kumar and more.

Though the original song ‘Bam Bhole’ was already a hit with more than 350 million+ views, Viruss’ debut in Laxmi with Bam Bhole has been appreciated for it’s pulsating energy and amazing vibe by none-other than Akshay Kumar himself. So it’s no wonder, Viruss is on cloud nine. In an exclusive interview, Viruss’ talks about his journey, Akshay Kumar, the film Laxmi and of course his energetic Bam Bhole. Read on…

How did your musical journey begin?

I have always been passionate about music, but it was in 2014 when I chose it as a profession. Then I went to Mumbai to try my luck and fortunately, I was able to work with some good people from the industry. During that period, I met Mr. Anup Kumar (CEO Acme Muzic) and shifted to Chandigarh and started working.

Tell us about your first break in Bollywood and how it all happened?

My first break in Bollywood couldn’t have been better than this. Doing a song for the biggest superstar of Bollywood - Mr. Akshay Kumar, as a debutant is a dream come true. ‘Bam Bhole’ was already a hit before it was added to the film ‘Laxmi’. It was Mr. Akshay Kumar who heard the original song and loved it and wanted to add the song to the movie. That is where Mr. Anup Kumar came in talks with the makers of the film and the song happened. This is my first Bollywood song and the first one is always special. Moreover, this song has always been special to me as it has given me positive energy and blessings of Bholenath. This is definitely the best thing that has happened to me in my career and I’m looking forward to doing many other Bollywood songs in near future

Akshay Kumar and Kiara have praised the song a lot, how did you get this break?

The entire Team of Laxmi, Akshay Pahji, Kiara and other members - everyone just loved the song - and were really excited about it. The entire team was super energetic on the sets of Bam Bholle. There are many other Bollywood songs in the pipeline which will be releasing in 2021.

How is your rapport with other singers in the industry?

As this is my Bollywood debut, so I have good but very few friends in Bollywood and the music industry. But if you talk about the Punjabi music Industry from where I come - definitely I have best friends like Millind Gaba, Stylish Singh, King Kaazi, Ayush Talniya, Fazilpuria to name a few and some of them support me as their younger Brother like Gippy Grewal Pahji. So I have got amazing people around me.

Have there been times when you didn’t connect to any of the songs you sang?

I guess that never happened to me. I believe that getting connected to the song is the most important thing for an artist. I feel that whatever you create should give you a positive vibe before people listen to it. That is what I felt when I created Bam Bholle.

What do you think about digital platform? Do you wish to work on the digital platform any time soon?

I think it’s a very vast platform and it has created its own space in the industry. Especially in recent years, the OTT has formed a strong base of its own audience. I have songs coming up on various OTT platforms soon.

How do you define Indian music? What do you think about platforms like coke studio – what does it bring to Indian Music?

Indian music has multiple genres. I think every song has its own audience and there is space for every kind of music. With commercial music holding its space in the entertainment industry, Coke Studio delivers a different kind of vibe to the audience.

Which are the actors from the Bollywood industry you would want to playback for?

I’m a typical Bollywood movie lover and I really love watching Bollywood movies more than Hollywood movies. I would definitely want to sing for Akshay Pahji again. There are many other actors I would love to work with like Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Kartik Aryan, Vicky Kaushal to name a few.

Is there any actor you think your voice suits her best?

Akshay Kumar is the name that comes to my mind because I have seen him performing on my song Bam Bholle.

Given that there is a rise of actorsingers in Bollywood, who would you love to compose for and whose voice do you like the most?

I would definitely like to compose for Ayushmann Khurana. I think he has a fabulous voice and is an amazing artist. I would love to work with him.

When you compose a song, how do you visualize the tunes to match the feel of the films you are composing for?

Like you said, it’s all about the feel. If you can feel it, you can create it.

Which is favorite genre and why do you prefer that genre?

EDM, Trance, House are few genres which are my favourite. I always try to create something that can make people dance.

Your all-time favorite songs and your favorite artists?

When it’s about creating, I have a different feel. But when it comes to listening my taste differs. If I talk about my favourite songs Hawayein, Qaafirana, Namo Namo to name a few. My fave artistes are A.R Rehman, Amit Trivedi, Pritam and Arijeet Singh.

Any artiste with whom you would want to collaborate in the near future?

I would love to collaborate with Arijeet Singh.

What are your upcoming projects?

There are many projects - some big collaborations for singles as well as Bollywood songs that will be released soon.