Foreign Artists, Indian Music (Part 1)

Everybody loves cross-overs, collaborations and cameos. It is so exciting when two entertainers, you are fond of, make their worlds collide. The ‘wow’ factor of collaborations gets everyone talking, increasing the artists’ popularity. This has inspired some unusual pairings in music, all over the world.
In this article we will talk about foreign artists who made music in the Indian scene.

When a rising (or established) foreign artist’s name is attached to a song, there is sure to be a buzz. This was especially true for the 2000s, when people had started developing an ear for international music, but could only access them after 11 pm on MTV.

It is to be noted that the quality of these experimental songs was hit or miss. Some songs have stood the test of time, while some songs have aged like milk. But they were interesting, at least to me, as an audience.

Let us dive in and have a look at some experiments, shall we?

1. ‘Dhoom Dhoom’ from Dhoom (2004), feat. Tata Young

Dhoom was a major Box-Office success for 2004. Its brilliant soundtrack introduced the iconic Dhoom theme music, which has been immortalized by Chinese toy phones and truck sirens. Composed by Pritam, the OST also included a song titled ‘Dhoom Dhoom’ by a Thai singer called Tata Young.

While Sunidhi Chauhan‘s SFW version of the title track was included in the movie, this bolder version played during the end-credits. The song’s vibe matched the fast-paced, thrilling plotline of the movie.
In my millennial opinion, both tracks were better than the title tracks of Dhoom 2 and Dhoom 3.

I remember reading and memorizing the lyrics from the back of the cassette jacket, and showing off. Most of my peers could only memorize ‘dance with me, dance with me, this is my philosophy.’ Yeah, those were the lyrics to the chorus. (It was 2004 okay?)

The better parts of the lyrics were raunchy by 2004 standards when there was no Cardi B and her WAP. The video was raunchier, and it was wise to change the channel when your parents were around. All over the YouTube comment section, you will find oldies reminiscing about that.

Tata Young appeared in bondage-gear and whipped Uday Chopra who was tied-up like Dharmendra in Sholay. Then she donned a bikini and tried to seduce a bored Abhishek Bachchan in a bathtub. Abhishek Bachchan is just not into it. He tries to lick a candle from 2 inches away, then throws it and causes a fire hazard. This gif has a deep meaning open to interpretation.

The scenes with the actors are so awkward they had to intercut them with dancing footage of female models. Nobody was looking at the guys anyway. That was, until mud-covered John Abraham and Tata Young decided to seductively demonstrate how to fail a pottery class.

Apart from providing fap-material to kids, the song also made Tata Young‘s career and she went on to release an EP with the same name. The album was popular all over Asia, especially in Japan and Thailand.

This song was one of the most well-made collaborations in Bollywood, where everything was in place and it all came together perfectly. Even after sixteen years, this song is a baller.

2. ‘You’re The One For Me/ Haan Main Tumhara’ from Asha and Friends (2006), feat. Brett Lee

Before there was Dwayne Bravo and his Champion song, another foreign cricketer made a song which captured the eyeballs of the Indian audience. This song was a part of the 2006 album Asha and Friends where legendary singer Asha Bhosale collaborated with unlikely celebs such as Sanjay Dutt, Urmila Matondkar and Australian cricketer Brett Lee. Fans of Bollywood and cricket allowed the song to skyrocket to #4 in India’s music charts.

The song has interesting backstories. In this video by WildFilmsIndia, Asha ji narrates how she wanted to be the only playback singer on the album and wanted to join non-professionals who could jam, and then Brett Lee was brought in.

In a 2007 Interview, Brett Lee shed some light on how the song came to be :

“We had a break in between games last year, so I wrote the lyrics in half an hour and we headed up to a studio in Mohali to record it. Then we hired a room in our hotel in Mumbai to shoot the video. I have been shooting commercials since I was 20, so it all came pretty naturally.”

From The Age – January 9, 2007 (archive link)

The music video shows Brett Lee playing a white boy smitten by an Indian girl, trying to impress her. He alludes to his white-ness multiple times and promises to learn Hindi for her. His Hindi teacher is Asha Bhosale who tutors him unsuccessfully as he daydreams about his Indian crush.

The song hasn’t aged that well. I love Asha ji, and Brett Lee – separately. It is funny, the lyrics are cheesy and the video is very Bollywoody, even for Bollywood.

Ultimately, it was FUN. The 2006 audience enjoyed it. Brett Lee and Asha ji both had a great time recording it.
Have a look with what Brett Lee said about the then 73 year old legend :

I was delighted to work with a legend like Asha Bhosale as she is one person that Bollywood and the music industry looks up to. She is a dynamic lady and doesn’t look her age at all!!!

From the back cover of ‘Asha and Friends’.

Hold on, I must say that Brett Lee is a good actor. If you like him too, check out this sad music video from 2016 feat. Brett Lee, sung by Salim-Suleiman. Great song, great acting.

3. Chiggy-Wiggy from Blue (2009), feat. Kylie Minogue

Another Australian had her fling with Bollywood after Brett Lee. It was Kylie Minogue (not the IG Kylie, the OG Kylie). She featured in a song called Chiggy-Wiggy from Blue (2009), partnering with beloved singer Sonu Nigam. It was composed by Hollywood-famous, fresh Oscar winner A.R. Rahman.

After this song came out, everyone was left with two questions.

1) What on earth is Chiggy Wiggy? If you are calling it Chiggy Wiggy maybe you are not old enough to Chiggy Wiggy, go watch Pogo.

2) Is there a version without the unnecessary Punjabi beats that we can download? (Well, yes there is.)

The track starts off great, like a smooth club song and then turns to a comedic cacophony. The Punjabi-Hindi lyrics jumble is tastelessly done. It was panned by critics when it was released. After eleven years, it is still weird. Nevertheless, it was played in weddings and is certainly well-remembered.

The music video featured Kylie Minouge performing in a club, when Akshay Kumar swings in on a chandelier a la Miley Cyrus in ‘Wrecking Ball.’ He jumps at her and starts dancing -in her face.

I believe Kylie’s ‘WTF’ reaction is authentic here :

(Bonus : You can watch the making and BTS here. )

With all its weirdness, the song was able to generate an organic buzz. I don’t think it would have the same reach in 2020, given that a lot of youngsters are now into mainstream international pop music. There are talks of a ‘Blue’ sequel. Maybe it will have Ariana Grande or someone singing Hanky Panky. Or Squiggly Wiggly. Or Willy Nilly. Comment below what titles you’d like to hear.

The only good thing I have to say about the video is that Akshay Kumar and Kylie Minogue have pulled everything off so impressively, you wouldn’t guess both of them are in their forties. Yup. Akshay was forty-two and Kylie was forty-one when this video was made.

In conclusion of Part 1 :

That brings us to the end of part one. There are a lot more songs to come in this series. If you can think of more, feel free to leave a comment. If you like this article, share it! I would also like to thank my readers for their support.

Annnnd here is Part 2!