Monday

7 Minutes In Heaven With The Bilz & Kashif

Now I’m a big music fan! I love it all. And if you don’t admit to dancing around your room to a favorite song, you’re a liar (haha)! Well, I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve done it! And ‘2 Step Bhangra’ is my jam! MTL’s The Bilz & Kashif have become a household name in the music industry and are making international waves! I recently had the chance to sit down with them and discuss current projects and much more! Check it out!

Tell us a little bit about your latest album ‘Breaking Barriers’?
This is a brand spanking new album. It’s a follow up to our last self-titled album that featured 2 Step Bhangra. Breaking Barriers is what fans have been waiting for in a long time, and trust me you can probably call it the “greatest hits” album (laughs). It’s also a musical masterpiece that’s necessary for the music industry right now. Tons of live instruments, a lot of electro pop sounds with a touch of Bollywood. We’ve put in so much time, sweat and effort to make this an outstanding album. You will see a lot of tracks that feature Master-D on the Hindi & Punjabi vocals while Kashif does his magic in English and Vicious does a few rap features too – it’s definitely Breaking Barriers.

You’ve faced their fair share of challenges, which served as the inspiration for their latest single, “Against All Odds.” Do you mind sharing with us some of these challenges?
This industry is full of challenges but the concept of Against All Odds that drops worldwide on iTunes on November 23^rd along with the video premiere on Desihits.com, is about how we’ve all worked so hard to get at this level of success. One of the biggest challenges in this industry is taking your creative compositions and aligning it with the business of music. Today’s generation, not everyone has the patience, trust and courage to keep their head up once someone brings you down. You need to drive and focus on your goals and these are tremendous challenges that you need to overcome. A lot of people believe that we became overnight sensations, but in reality, we’ve all constantly worked on our own talents and put them together to build a strong team. 98% of the time, we’re always on the same page. We’ve faced challenges on radio and mainstream media being South Asians bringing a new sound to the industry, but it never stopped us to push further, and now “Kuri Punjabi”, which will be on Breaking Barriers album, will feature in a Hollywood movie with Catherine Zeta Jones. We’re sure that this will also inspire our fans or anyone who wishes to follow their dreams either in school, sports or their career – Against All Odds belongs in your iPod!

What does music mean to you? i.e. what do you look for in terms of ‘good music’?
Music is everything to us and runs in our veins. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be in this industry for so long and release music while the whole world is going in a recession! (laughs). People depend on music to keep their lives going. Good Music is all about the vibe and how you connect with your fans or audience. The musical composition and having the ability to write lasting hits. If you’ve evoked a mood for them while they are listening to your song, I think you have touched that person’s emotions whether it be having a good time at the club, being in love, sad about a moment in your life, or to celebrate achievement. Just listen to Against all Odds, One Voice, Turn the Music Up & Heer Ranjha on Breaking Barriers you’ll definitely hear “great music”.

What was it like touring across North America and West Europe?
America has always showed us so much love since day one. From stadiums packed with 17,000 people to nightclubs with 600 screaming fans, we always get that adrenaline rush right before we make our entrance on stage. It’s amazing to go out and meet the fans and see how they embrace our music. We do positive music and they react, it’s what tells us as artists that our music is being loved by the masses. We’re probably the only act that has worked our asses off creating and making our songs a household brand in North America being North American. Shout out to all the club and radio djs out there who show love to our singles at their events. Europe has always showed us tons of love, it’s only a matter of time that we go on tour in U.K. All the radio DJs there are supporting the new single. We did an exclusive with Nihal on Radio 1 and then Punjabi Hit Squad took it over. We’ve done dates in Germany & Amsterdam for the Martin Luther King Achievement Awards, and not to mention Dubai. Against all Odds just hit the Top 30 countdown in Singapore, so keep checking our MySpace and Facebook pages for more tour dates.

What was the target audience that you were aiming for with this album?
We never really set target audiences for our album. From experience, we’ve heard someone’s dadi-ji jamming to the last album on a long trip, or our fan’s parents vibing to our music because it’s so fresh. We do music for the masses. It has to be a universal message and that’s how we shape our sound. We’re not gonna lie though; we get mad love from High school, College and University students. They’re our biggest supporters! We just want everyone to legally download “Against All Odds” on November 23^rd when it releases worldwide on iTunes along with the video premiere on Desihits.com.

You guys will be making your Hollywood debut with a track titled Kuri Punjabi, in The Rebound starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. How does it feel to know that people all across the world will be listening to your music when the movie is released?
We think that this is definitely going to go down on our major accomplishment lists after The Unforgettable Tour with the Bachchans. We’re extremely proud, excited and we’re definitely going to check out “The Rebound” when it releases in Canada. The Bilz & Kashif are always breaking barriers so there’s definitely more to come. Make sure you always check the website at http://www.bilzmusic.com

Diwali is a time of celebration and being with your family. How do you celebrate Diwali or other special holidays with your family?
We mainly spent our time with family. But since we just shot the video for Against All Odds, we all had to take some time to meet our video producer in the editing room. (Laughs).  I know, we’re insane but we treated ourselves to some sweets. It obviously doesn’t beat the atmosphere and celebration like our last year’s visit to Mumbai.

Do you have any last words for Bravura Artist Magazine & your fans?
We love all our fans worldwide and we thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for all the support you’ve given us since day one. Our journey now continues with you and we want you all to constantly request “Against All odds” at your favorite radio stations, online radios and club Djs so we can take this song to the top. Don’t forget to legally download “against all odds” on iTunes on November 23^rd worldwide along with the video premiere on Desihits.com. Trust me you don’t want to miss this. Also prepare yourself for the biggest album of the year – Breaking Barriers. I know you’ve all been waiting for it, but its jam packed with 15 new tracks and exclusives! Bravura Artist Magazine, we thank you for all the love and support for The Bilz & Kashif. Only strive for the best and stand out! Catch us on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube & Bebo!