Surrender is a devotional record built for stillness.
Hargun Kaur and Kirti Varsani, who have collaborated since 2014,
bring Punjabi folk roots to the project.
Punjabi, sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan language native
to the Punjab region of Pakistan and India.
“Surrender (Ja Tu Mere Wal)” begins your meditative
journey into ancient traditions and spirituality. The sound of water
trickling by sends the message of life abounding around you. Modern
rhythms come into focus as Hargun Kaur's beautiful voice enters.
As the piece develops, more of the traditional music you would expect
melds into the composition. The foundation and concept hold strong,
and the messages and atmosphere are delivered beautifully. Ancient
meets modern production technology in a clear, crisp presentation
that lasts nearly six minutes.
“Reverence (So Satguru Pyara)” adapts a new flow
of sounds and atmospheres. It feels more streamlined and, dare I say,
“radio-ready,” and I mean that as a compliment. Light and pop-oriented
in places, with lush orchestration, its beauty shines through. The
melody is catchy, with many elements woven throughout. Hargun’s voice
is magical, and the accompanying musical layers complement her accents
and chants with perfect balance.
“Eternal (Saaiyan)” is the longest track, running
6:24. Here we return to more traditional sounds and chanting style.
The light percussive elements and tinkling bells enhance each
transitional movement. The rhythms and beats follow Hargun’s expressive
vocal placements. The piece develops constantly, with interesting
elements added along the way. Many layers and colors merge into a
vibrant musical accompaniment. The tempo is medium this time and holds
your interest as you listen closely to the intricacies emerging within
the composition.
“Divine Grace (Kar Rehmatan)” begins with a lovely,
Spanish-flavored acoustic guitar, with the vocals added quickly.
The elasticity of the music and the vocals is magnificent, moving from
track to track as you enjoy the variety being presented. This is an
elegant, tasteful piece with plenty of color and tradition mixed in
in perfect measure. The chants take on a direct but significantly
different timbre within each track. This continuity is key to
captivating a listener. Rhythmically sound and quite beautiful.
“Refuge (Guru Ramdas Rakho Sarnayi)” brings back
the mystical feeling. The musicianship remains stellar from start
to finish in each track. With the atmosphere created here, it felt
like I moved from one world to another once this started. Again,
that's the eclectic nature of this music and its vocal presentations.
The intrinsic rhythms, layers, and strings pull you into another time
and space easily. Wherever you are listening to this, you will be
transported instantly. This is where the pull and power of the music
and chants do their work, bringing the listener into another frame
of reference and a new state of mindfulness.
“Oneness (Ik Onkar)” closes out this recording with
just two minutes and seventeen seconds of music and chants. Although
the time span is short, the music and chants are as effective as in
all the previous tracks. It feels like a simple way to close the
curtain on this marvelous meditative journey where ancient meets
modern times.
Listening to this album is an invitation to Surrender—not just
to the music, but to a sense of timelessness and spiritual connection.
The chants and melodies transcend boundaries, bridging ancient tradition
and modern sensibilities. Hargun Kaur and Kirti Varsani have crafted
work that honors the past while inviting listeners into a rich,
immersive, and soulful journey.
CREDITS
Lead Vocals: Hargun Kaur
Music Director: Kirti Varsani
Composers: Kirti Varsani, Hargun Kaur
Lyrics: Traditional Sacred Texts and Shabads Adapted for Musical Performance
Original Lyrics by Hargun Kaur
Arrangers: Kedar Upadhyay, Roto Shah
Music Assistant: Jay Rathod
Mix Engineers: Tanay Gajjar, Kardarmsharma Joshi
Part Two
The Interview
Hargun Kaur and Kirti Varsani discuss their collaboration,
the making of Surrender, the musicians involved, and
what may come next.
How did you come together to collaborate on the recording?
We met over ten years ago, and we’ve been creating music together ever since.
Since 2014, our collaboration has been guided by a shared belief in meaningful
melody, fresh arrangements, and sincere devotion. Over the years, we’ve
collaborated on numerous recordings and performed together as well, exploring
different languages and musical textures while remaining grounded in faith.
This album continues a musical journey that has been growing and evolving
for more than a decade.
What was the process like? Are you in proximity, and did you meet in the studio, or did you work through file exchanges?
Since we live in different parts of the country, we initially exchanged ideas
remotely, bouncing musical concepts off each other. We then met in Bhuj for
a jam session, which helped us develop those ideas further. Finally, we came
together in Mumbai to record the entire album in person. It was a lovely
process of taking ideas from conversations and file exchanges into a shared
creative space.
What instruments were used on the album, and how did you both contribute?
We co-wrote and co-composed the album. Hargun contributed as the vocalist
while Kirti contributed as the music director. The album brings together
Gurbani and Punjabi devotional music with contemporary, ambient, and
chant-based textures, with each prayer given its own musical identity while
keeping the overall album cohesive. We also collaborated with some incredible
instrumentalists who brought their own musical sensibilities to the project.
The instrumentation included Indian instruments such as flute, rabab,
mandolin, and harmonium, along with guitars and, of special note, the string
and woodwind sections of the Budapest Scoring Orchestra. The percussion
features tabla, dholak, duff, dhol, manjira, and several other instruments.
Were there any special guests that appeared on the album?
Yes, we had some wonderful musicians join us on this project. Rhythm Shaw
(guitarist), Tapas Roy (rabab player) contributed to the album, along with
the Budapest Scoring Orchestra. Each of them brought something unique to the
music, and we’re grateful to have had them be part of Surrender.
It would not have been possible without them.
How long did it take to complete the album?
We recorded all the vocals over two full days. The rest of the process took
approximately a month, mainly because we had to coordinate with all the
musicians and work around everyone’s schedules and availability. Post-production
took additional time and probably the most time, particularly mixing and
mastering. We went through many mixes of each song before finalizing the right
one. There was a lot of planning, coordination, and careful listening behind
bringing everything together.
Are there any plans to take the music on tour in U.S.?
Absolutely! We’re already planning a Surrender tour, and our vision
is to take this music to the world, not just the United States. We hope to
reach broader audiences across the world, building on our experience performing
for the Indian diaspora internationally. More than simply presenting the songs
live, we want to create a meaningful experience that makes devotion accessible
and relatable to listeners across generations and cultures.
Will you be recording together again in the future?
Definitely! We’re already planning a few more releases and discussing new
ideas for the coming year. We have been making music together for over a decade,
and we hope to continue collaborating on many more projects in the years to come.
We want to bring a fresh creative dimension to each project—whether through
language, arrangement, instrumentation, or visual storytelling—without losing
the spiritual foundation of the music. Our goal is not simply to release more
music, but to create work that feels sincere, distinctive, and capable of
reaching listeners across generations and cultures. Surrender is another
milestone in our journey, and there’s still so much more music we want to
create together.
