Nindy Kaur is best known for her Bollywood music with collaborative group RBD, but with 2 hit singles and a debut album out in the summer, I caught up with Nindy to talk, music, touring and collaborations ahead of “Save The World” her new single release, with critically acclaimed trio “Culture shock,” who has worked with the likes of Lady GaGa (for her Bollywood inspired remix of “Born This Way),” as well as producing the Desi remixes for Rihanna, Nicole Sherzinger and Sean Paul.

I understand you’ve just returned from Delhi, what have you been doing there?

Yeah, yeah, I did about 2 days ago, shows, shows, shows…to be honest we’ve been travelling in India doing our tour since beginning of November so we’ve been in and out a lot.

If I asked you to describe your new single “Save The World,” in a sentence what would you say?

I would say upbeat…pretty much the title says it all…cos I think it does “Save The World.”

I’ve listened to it, and certainly from your previous stuff it’s a more dance sound. Was that intentional, or was that something that came organic when producing it?

No, actually I like to keep all my songs quite upbeat I mean if you listen to, “2 Seater” that would be dance as well, but more I would say electro bhangra type. So anything that I personally feel is upbeat, or the tune is gonna make people happy and its gonna make them dance on the dancefloor, then I’m fine with…I’m perfect with doing that. “Save the World” to be honest is different too in the sense of Lomaticc singing in English and being more of an upbeat English track, but again I’m back to Punjabi roots of singing to hook line in Punjabi which I like to stick to.

As well with touring, I suppose the more upbeat the more interactive the audience is with you?

Absolutely! I mean there are sad songs, or slow songs that people can relate to…more so when they’re down, or when they’ve had breaks up with their boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever, and they can relate to that. But like I said, “Save The World” it kind of speaks for itself. I like people to be happy; like you said if its playing at a club or if i’m performing at an event I want people dancing and having their hands in the air,..I don’t want to make people sad.

It must be amazing feeling to have people singing the songs back to you at live events?

Definitely… and that gives you such a massive adrenaline rush it makes you perform better as well. When I usually do my performances I like to come onto the stage with either “2 Seater” or “Akhian.” Like lately we’ve been doing a lot of university and college events you’re looking at like 10 -15000 students there! Just imagine it; like an open ground, a big massive park and you’ve got 10-15000 people there and they all know the “2 seater” move and they know the lyrics and its just like “Wow! A great start to a show.

When your touring, do you get to choose the look of your staged events, or does somebody else?

No, as far as the stage layout and the way its supposed to be set up, its already in our contract so they abide by the contract basically. So its exactly how we would want it.

Going back to the single, how did the particular collaboration with “Culture Shock” come about, did you approach them, or did they approach you?

They actually approached me. TBH we’re good friends, I’ve always been a fan of their music I’ve always like anytime Baba, Lomaticc or Sunny [aka Culture Shock] would show me and Manj [Nindy’s husband and member of RDB] a song of theirs I’d be like; “that sounds really good.” So they just approached me one day and said: “How would you feel if we did a track together,” I said: “You know what, I really wouldn’t mind…should be good!” So we kind of went in the studio. There was me, Manj, Baba, Lomaticc and Sunny messing around; put this together..put that together next thing you know in a span of two hours “Save The World” was made.

That must be massive compliment when they’ve worked with the likes of Lady GaGa. So for them to come and say” We want to work with you…?”

What it was is, how Baba explained it; obviously they’ve done things with Lady GaGa and other western artists, so they see how we’re always on tour in India and we did Bombay and the previous Bollywood stuff so they just want to switch it up a bit, and they said “we would like someone who’s been in the Bollywood movies”, so we thought lets just do this, lets try that and see what happens.

But like I said, after the outcome of that two hours we were like “Ok, you know were loving this track” and we had a couple of friends who just came by the studio to visit and they heard the track; when somebody hears a track for the first time sometimes it takes a bit of time to get used to a song! But they heard this song for the first time and they were like “oh wow, that’s amazing that is.” So just to see a reaction straight after the tracks made…and quite a reaction we were like; “ok were definitely gonna go with this!”

Would you like to collaborate with someone like Lady GaGa? Or who would you like to collaborate with?

Definitely! It would definitely be either Rihanna or Lady GaGa; I would love to do that. That would be a dream come true!

If you had to choose between one or the other who would be the ultimate?

Rihanna! Lately she’s bringing out amazing songs, complete smashers every one. She releases a single, its like “wow;” the next one comes out; even better.

Your new single is more mainstream so its certainly heading in that direction isn’t it?

Yeah I would say so. It is more mainstream. After the public reaction we’ll see where it actually goes, I wouldn’t like to sit here and boast about it a lot. But yeah like I said, I’m very Punjabi at heart. If it does go mainstream its just a total bonus for me. Yeah I am definitely very Punjabi at heart!

Somebody did ask me to sing an English song! I don’t know if I am capable “of” singing an English song; I’ve never given it a go – but I do really enjoy singing in Punjabi. So by the end of the day no matter what happens whether it goes mainstream or not, I’m always gonna be singing in Punjabi…

We have a beautiful language, the east Indian side of the world is just so glamorous, the western side they pretty much all want to go over to Bollywood. All the hip hop artists want to go over to Bollywood; believe it or not when were on tour we always find out “oh J Lo just came down, you know Snoop Dogg just came down.” to see that these big artists from the western side of the world are coming over to India. So there’s definitely something there.

It just like the internet has made the world so small. Before India was just known as a third – world country, that’s what people thought; that’s the negativity they got. But now Bollywood’s massive. The music industry in India is just huge, everyone from the western side of the world wants to collaborate.

You’re quite interactive on twitter aren’t you?

Yeah on twitter, on facebook.

Anytime I get a chance. I’ve got a very busy lifestyle cos I have a five year old son as well.

I’m on the go travelling, I’m coming back and forth from India, so if i’m on the plane, and I’m about to take off, I quickly go on my twitter, and see “Ok these fans are giving me great comments and stuff and compliments…and I do try and find time to reply to them.

It must help spur you on, especially if you’re tired travelling?

To be honest, when it comes to my son; the minute I pick my son Anoop up from school then its all about him! I won’t be on facebook; I won’t be on twitter. Mostly when I’m on my travels…yes I do! If I’m transitting in-between two flights or something, or I’m heading to the airport, that would be the time I’d sit and reply to fans; because that to me, is my time for my fans.

Its good to have a private and public life!

Oh yes definitely it very important to have your private family life because my son is my everything, so no matter what.

RDB and yourself has been described as the Indian Black Eyed Peas. Do you mind that comparison, is it something you’d encourage?

Its a huge compliment. Its was actually really weird, we never thought of that, and this was about 3-4 years back, we were in Mumbai, we’d done a show somewhere it was a private event and they referred to us in the papers as the “Indian Black Eyed Peas,” and we kind of sat there for a split second, “why would they say that…oh yeah 3 males and a female.” but we kind of just laughed about it and then after that it was a huge thing in India “oh they’re the Indian Black Eyed Peas…they’re the Indian Black Eyed Peas.” So we just kind of rolled with it.

To be honest its a huge compliment cos we love the Black Eyed Peas.

Final question! What do you have planned for the year?

Rest of the year well…I just came home on Monday and then I’m heading back out to India on Friday; going to Bangalore.

After this period of going to India, which is going to end around about end of April, we’ve got our US tour, and then when we’ve finished the US tour we’ll be going back to India, we’ll be going to Hong Kong, Bangkok.

There’s a lot of private events we do for a lot of business people and stuff; corporate events. They’re usually held in homes in different countries. So basically its a 360 every year. Kind of the same thing just travelling, travelling, travelling….

I also have my album coming out this summer which I shouldn’t forget to mention, Nindypendant. I know all the fans have been eagerly waiting and I’ve been saying, “Yeah January this, this…” but every time we’ve done some sort of a song, somebody pulls it out for a Bollywood film; cos there’s a Bollywood project coming up soon from RBD. We’re doing a full soundtrack for a movie.

Are you able to say what movie?

No, not yet!

We’ll wait and find out!

Definitely!

Culture Shock Ft Nindy Kaur, “Save The World” is available for exclusive download from i-tunes now, and will be available on Nindy Kaur’s album NINDYPENDANT due out this summer as a remix version.