Sagar Wali Qawwali is a Big Draw, But Sagar Bhatia is Diversifying

In an age of short-video platforms contributing to a song’s success, singer-composer Sagar Bhatia feels that it makes people only want to hear 30 seconds of a tune. As Bhatia rightly points out, it’s not the way things used to be.

He says, “If you listen to [1999 Bollywood song] ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,’ you’ll hear the whole song, not stop it in the middle. That’s because it was never first presented in a 30-second Reel format. If I took that approach and say that some five seconds of it will be good enough to make it a hit, that’s not my motive. My idea is that the whole song becomes a hit.” He thinks for a while and then sums it up in a fitting, poetic manner and says, “Instead of a Reel format, I want to work in the real format.”

Bhatia first started out in 2007 in Mumbai, as a guitarist for the veteran singer Narendra Chanchal in his crew. He also went to play in dance bars as part of an “orchestra” in places like Malaysia and Dubai. He came back in 2010, formed a band and led as a guitarist and then pivoted to singing in 2011 in Chandigarh. A big break came later in 2014 when Bhatia was part of televised singing competition India’s Raw Star. He placed among the top six in the show which has spawned several other Indian pop hitmakers like Darshan Raval. Bhatia adds, “A lot more things happened along the way, like how demonetization led to work getting stopped. I started again – I am a music producer, composer, writer, I produce my songs myself. From 2016 to 2019, as a means of survival, I was just arranging music for others on computers.”

It was in 2020 during the pandemic that Bhatia turned to qawwali in earnest and since then, he’s been best known for Sagar Wali Qawwali, a show series that sees him bring new energy to the centuries-old music format. Since taking it live in 2022, Bhatia hasn’t looked back. Rather, he’s gone on to diversify his talents, from pop songs like “Waqt Badlega” to the love ballad “Teri Meri Kahaani.” His strength, still, has been qawwali, best known for songs like “Mera Ishq,” “Ishq Ch Kamli,” “Kaali Raat.” In February, Bhatia’s “Royi Hovegi” took some elements from lush pop as well as qawwali intensity to create a powerful song.

Speaking to Rolling Stone India after house-full shows across North India, plus Kolkata. There have also been shows in the U.S., Canada, Dubai and the U.K. that has seen Sagar Wali Qawwali really grow. He says about what has worked in his favor, “Qawwali was always on top, but log represent karne wale kam the (there were fewer people representing it). If you go to see, every year has had a big qawwali hit. There’s not been a single year that’s gone by without a big qawwali song. I’ve tried to present it in a different way and people are actually loving it.”

Inspired by the likes of folk singer Gurdas Maan and qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Bhatia says he doesn’t want to perform in the traditional format to a seated audience. “I never sit in a qawwali. It’s music that you sway to. I’ve made qawwali new age, for Gen Z. So there are more production elements in the sound. Younger kids might find it difficult to grasp the lyrics but I present it in a way that even a five-year-old would find it memorable,” Bhatia says. He pushes his band with 10 to 15 jams per song to focus on the presentation of each track at his shows. Everything from “Kesariya” from Brahmastra to “Tadap Tadap Ke” from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam gets the qawwali treatment from Bhatia, which is why the artist can say he’s walking the balance between entertaining and soulful performances.

There’s more to Bhatia than just Sagar Wali Qawwali, though. “I am not restricting myself that I just do qawwali, because I’m a singer-songwriter, I have more than 100 songs with me. So I just want to deliver music to people and to the industry as well,” he says. Finding a supporter in Bollywood producer and filmmaker Karan Johar, Bhatia’s first qawwali song in a Bollywood movie comes in July. He’s sung a qawwali on the soundtrack to action/drama flick Sarfira, starring Akshay Kumar.  

Bhatia’s next release, however, is “Raagdari,” which is coming with a music video as well. “We have a star cast in that. Karan [Johar] sir has himself chosen the artists for that song,” Bhatia adds. Then, there’s a slew of songs coming up via Sony Music India, where Bhatia is giving the shayari and qawwali treatment to some of the label’s biggest hit film songs, including “Mitwa” “Channa Mereya” and “Bulleya.” He adds, “I have tried to bring in newer artists to work with me on this.”