Reigning Chutney King, Chait ‘Bunty’ Singh Mohanlall, better known as Bunty Singh says that as his year at the top winds down Guyanese can look forward to hearing much more from him as he has every intention of retaining his crown and straddling the top of the ladder for at least another year especially it took him four tries before he made it to the top.
The singing sensation carted off the top prize on February 6, 2016 with his single “Fat Gyal” and promises a storm for this year’s Chutney competition when he defends his title.
In an interview with The Scene Bunty Singh shared how he came up with the song “Fat Gyal”.
“The reason why I came up with the song [is because] some people disrespectful to oversized people but I found a reason to love and show respect to them…,” he said.
“Fat gyal yuh make me going mad, cause you make my heart pumping bad,” is one of the lines in the song. And according to the singer/songwriter and composer his wife pitched in a bit too in the writing of the song.
Talking about how he started the singing journey Bunty Singh said that having grown up in a home of singers and musicians musical instruments were his toys and being a devout Hindu, like most of his family, he started out singing Bhajans at his mandir.
“I do…different [genres] of music but [mostly] Chutney and Bollywood songs, old and new; also some Bhajans and some Soca too,” he shared.
In 2003 when he started out, Bunty Singh participated in several competitions. His first competition was Kala Utsav and since then he has placed second four times and won three times in Harmonium, Dholak and Duet Singing competitions.
He went on to participate in the then GT&T Jingle competition as well, ranking in the top ten the first time around and placing fourth at a second try.
In 2009, Bunty Singh decided to enter the Chutney competition with his first single “I Drinking Whole Day in de Bar,” a duet that he sang with Avinash from the Shakti Strings Band. They were finalists. According to the Chutney King he entered into the competition three more times but did not place. However, he remained determined to win the title and tried again in 2015, placing third this time; by the following year his perseverance paid off.
Bunty Singh performed at the Caribbean Voice Awards at the Marriott Hotel. His performance showed an artiste who was definitely no stranger to the stage and his skill on the keyboard was superb. At this same event, Krish Singh, his five-year-old son (the elder of his two children) who has already won a competition, also performed. Krish boldly took to the stage to sing two pieces while his father operated the keyboard.
“My son, he was born a singer. He took it up just seeing and hearing what I am doing. Roger ‘Young Bill Rogers’ Hinds wrote the winning song for him,” the proud father shared.
Learning
Meantime, Bunty Singh said that being in the music industry has being a learning process for him where he has been continually improving his skills. Like most performers, he too had to deal with nervousness but his longtime exposure to the audience at his mandir allowed him to quickly overcome this.
Although he has perfected his skill as an artiste/performer he recalled a time that he messed up his song because he was too anxious and though he was upset then and it has since taught him to be more relaxed it did turn out to be funny later on. “I was concentrating on my song in 2014 too much and I ended up singing the last verse first and the first verse last. I had lost it… plus was big laugh,” he said.
Bunty Singh currently owns and operates BKVJ Studio where he does all his mixing, producing, building tracks and more including helping new singers with their vocals. The studio’s name BKVJ represents the initials from the first names of his family (Bunty, Krish, Valeri and Janvi – him, his wife and two children). When his time isn’t taken up in his studio he says he enjoys also being a father and a husband. He’s also a One Man Band and on weekends plays for jhandis, funerals, weddings, birthdays, and Muslim and Christian wakes.
Apart from his music he hopes to do some investing in oil and gas privately. But even this has something to do with his music. With a good turnover he intends to get his own band and a few trucks and possibly take his studio to the international level.
The former Bath Settlement resident once attended Bath Settlement Primary, Rosignol Secondary and the Cove and John Ashram. He now resides in Shieldstown, Berbice.
Bunty Singh also competed in the first edition of the E-Networks Emerging Voices Competition (2014) and was adjudged Best Performer of episode six and placed sixth.
His other songs include “Oh Valerie,” “Tell Me,” “Well Me Neighbour” and “Coolie Gyal”; his music can be found at CD shops around Guyana.
Apart from his family and friends, Bunty Singh would also like to acknowledge persons who have been very supportive of him and his music including the Shakti Strings family, Celia Samaroo, Bappy Roopchan and Avinash Roopchand.
Come February 18, he will be performing “Harmonium Bajaweh” (a Chutney Massala song that speaks to what Chutney music is really about) at the next Chutney Competition and is confident about keeping his title.
Find Bunty on Facebook as Bunty Singh or make contact with him on 646-7221.
