“Actions always prove why words mean nothing “- Very well said by someone that applies to almost everyone, the emphasis being on the word ‘almost’. For some people, words itself become their tool for action, as was the case with Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia. Little did people foresee about an IAS aspirant revolutionising the Indian Rap music industry while his peers were busy following the norms for success.
Badshah - the name he’s commonly known as, is a rapper, music producer and music composer in the Indian music industry. Though this is common knowledge to everyone, his life story is not. Hailing from a family based in New Delhi, he comes from a mixed lineage of Punjabi and Haryanvi, and thus he has imbibed mix cultures of both in his songs too. Since childhood, his passion for music couldn’t be contained, for apart from being in his school’s choir group (that used to be held as a huge function), he also took part in several music competitions whilst he was completing his schooling from Bal Bharati Public School, Pitampura, Delhi. Aspiring to be an IAS officer, he did his civil engineering education from PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh. It was during his engineering days that he fell in love with Punjabi music and thereon not even a single day in his life has passed without music. Having developed an exceptional affinity towards words and rhymes, he started writing songs, incorporating his lyrical genius into rap music. The hobby became an infatuation and his passion came rushing towards the surface when he started making headways with his compositions. After working as an engineer for a short stint, he decided to pursue his love of rap as a profession. Although his parents were against this decision of changing careers, that didn’t deter him from his plan of action and he decided to pursue his love for music nonetheless. He subsequently joined a band, Mafia Mundeer in 2006 and started his music career with Honey Singh. It was during this time with the band, that he took up the stage name “Badshah”. Mafia Mundeer was quite well known at that time and it didn’t take long for Badshah to gain popularity among the masses. After 6 years with Mafia Mundeer, he split from the band in 2012 and subsequently, his first independent Haryanvi song was released. The song was liked so much by the public, that few years down the line; it got adopted for the Bollywood movie, “Kapoor & Sons”.
“Prophesying is one of the life’s least profitable professions” This quote stands true for the people who started doubting his success when he faced some adversities in his profession. His splitting from the band was sensed by many as the demise of his career, but he continued moving forward and made his Bollywood Debut with the song “Dhup Chik” from the movie “Fugly” featuring big names like Raftaar and Aastha Gill. The song was acclaimed by many, thereby proving everyone wrong by showing his tenacity. Since then, he has worked with many famous singers such as Diljit Dosanjh, Gippy Grewal etc. This journey has made him one of the most famous names in Bollywood as he stands at the top of the music industry, becoming the most sought-after musician in today’s day and age.
“Brave are the ones who stand by their convictions”. Despite having achieved phenomenal success, he’s showing no signs of slowing down or holding back for that matter, as he keeps on surpassing his own limitations and further striving to unlock more achievements. He walks on the same common principle of ‘believing in yourself’ that has been followed by the legends of the old and the new, be they in any profession. He has amassed such a huge fan following that a mention of his name alone, in any event, makes it a memorable one. He’s well known for setting ablaze the dance floor with his addictive songs at whichever occasion he has performed in, and his next stop is set to be at the Xavier University, Bhubaneswar, in their upcoming annual fest “Xamboree”.