GupShup with Gurpreet Sarin

Welcome to the final episode of Season 2 of GupShup with Gurpreet Sarin! And...the final episode of 2019!! In this episode, the wifey and I chatted about 2019 highlights, things we have planned for 2020, and answered some questions from our friends. Some of my favorite moments - Nehchal’s thoughts on my soul searching trip to Dallas, how I lost my wedding ring at our reception, and Nehchal’s beautiful laugh throughout our interview (blessed to be married to someone who finds all my jokes funny)

For this week’s episode, I sat down with the amazing musician, performer, and producer, Raaginder! It was dope learning about his journey and hearing about the awesome projects that he’s been involved with. Through the interview, Raaginder provided insight into how he got started with Indian classical and hip-hop genres, what his song creation & production process is like, and his experience working with Fateh. We also chatted about other fun topics: Raaginder looks so much like Aquaman (the resemblance is uncanny in my opinion), he teaches me how I can hire a stylist for performances, and the spirituality of music.

For this week’s episode, I had the chance to chat with LA-based singer/songwriter Samica! I loved hearing about Samica’s journey as a musician and artist - it was dope to learn about her songwriting process, some of the covers and collabs she’s done (AJ Rrafael and Raxstar), and her experiences performing at fun events like the Popshift Sessions Festival and the Urban Desi Concert. Throughout the interview, we also chatted about other fun things - Samica’s initial journey studying to be a dentist (no wonder her teeth are perfect), Gossip Girl and the reboot of the show (she’s Team Chuck Bass apparently), and the one time she met Zayn (I didn’t realize his tattoos were so recognizable hmm) Samica’s first single, Alright, drops this Friday (11/15) so check out the pre-save link on her instagram @samicamusic and stay tuned!!

Harjas Singh, aka Styled By Harj, is a Toronto based Fashion Blogger, Stylist and Model. He showcases his unique fashion sense via social media outlets, providing him an opportunity to share his passion with the world and provides styling and consulting services to help individual’s look and feel the best versions of themselves. Harjas is continually working to promote diversity, inclusiveness and to educate people on and share his Sikh Heritage with larger audiences. For this week's episode, I had the pleasure of gupshup-ing with Harjas about his journey in the fashion industry - it was dope hearing about his experiences as a runway model and the cool gigs he’s done with major brands including Nike Toronto and Nordstrom Canada. I especially loved getting insight into his Nordstrom audition experience (apparently homie has got some rad dance moves).

The Socho Foundation is a social-impact organization which aims to shed light on the stressors that cause mental health to decline. The foundation’s mission is to positively impact behavior, thinking, and lifestyle to promote healthier organizational behavior and environments, whether that may be in a school, at a workplace, or within families at their home. For this week's episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Arzu Vig, founder of The Socho Foundation. It was great hearing from Arzu as she described her background and discussed how she created the foundation. Check out the episode to learn about the various projects and partnerships that The Socho Foundation has been and will be involved in!

Kirandeep Singh is an NPC Men’s Physique Athlete based in Philadelphia. Kirandeep joined us in DC to discuss his journey as a men’s physique competitor and fitness enthusiast. I loved hearing about his first competition experience and how he preps for shows. My favorite part was when he discussed his workout routine! Throughout the interview, we covered a variety of other topics: which celebrity Kirandeep would love to workout with, his experience sharing the stage and playing dhol with Sidhu Moosewala and Fateh, and his desire to get into acting (btw his Sunny Deol and Amitabh Bachan impressions are impressive!!). Follow Kirandeep and his fitness journey on Instagram: @beatsbylucky

Monica Ahuja is a Pakistani-Indian multidimensional entrepreneur and a high-profile member of the South Asian community in the Washington, D.C. area. On the clock, she is a Project Coordinator for a Virginia- based consulting firm and off the clock, she is a dancer, blogger, model and founder of the greater DC area’s newest cultural and social platform for South Asian called “DcWaleDesi”. Monica invited us to her dope place for this week's episode, where we had a chance to discuss what it means to be an influencer, how she got started with all of her projects, and the fun things she's up to. Additionally, I picked her brain about bollywood, fashion, fitness, and social media!

As an Autism Therapist by day and a Rockstar musician at night, @gurpreetbirk is literally the South Asian Hannah Montana. When he is not touring with artists like Diljit Singh, Mickey Singh, and G Sidhu, among others, you can find him working to create voices for populations who seemingly don’t have one and build interventions for children with autism in hopes of having a fighting chance for integration in the community. Looking like the Punjabi Fresh Prince, rocking his dad’s vintage clothes, we sat down today to talk about Gurpreet’s roots and how his dad’s love of Hip-Hop and mom’s love of Rock n’ Roll shaped his eclectic musical tastes and positive outlook on life. We follow his journey on what is was like dealing with racism early on in life and how it shaped his drive to become an advocate for fighting social injustices. We also talked about his #HaveYouSmiledToday campaign and how through his own mental health journey was able to use his experiences to open up the conversation to a South Asian community who still considers it a taboo subject. Gurpreet also opens up about what parents can do to be more proactive in their child’s life and to support their dreams, no matter how big and unconventional. Follow Gurpreet Birk and his overwhelming positive zest for life on Instagram: @gurpreetbirk. Oh yeah, Have You Smiled Today?

Sundeep Boparai aka King Sunny is an American-Sikh who identifies with the LGBTQ Community. The talented fashion model & influencer, magazine brand ambassador, LGBTQ & HIV activist and Healthcare Administrator has established himself as a trailblazer on social media by carrying the torch for Gay Sikhs across the world. It was a pleasure chatting with Sunny about his experiences being a gay Sikh American. Through this conversation, Sunny shed light into his experiences coming out to his family, what the overall response has been from his community, and advice to the current and next generation. We also talked about a bunch of other interesting topics such as: Bollywood's portrayal of the LGBTQ community, the modeling and entertainment industry, and Nicki Minaj vs Cardi B. Follow King Sunny and his amazing projects on Instagram: @kingsunnyb

For the very first episode of Season 2, I had the privilege of interviewing MY WIFE! It was a lot of fun chatting with Nehchal about her hobbies and passions, what it's like living together (married life), how our wedding went, and a bunch of other fun things. Special thanks to some of our friends for giving us questions and topics to discuss throughout the interview!

Vish Singh has a passion for fashion. He’s a fashion model from NYC who has built up a pretty dope portfolio - from doing runway modeling during New York Fashion Week, to being in French Montana’s music video, to commercial print modeling for Facebook, Vish has been involved in some super cool projects. We met up with Vish in New York, where he described his passion for modeling and the fashion industry. It was incredible hearing his background and how he originally got started, while also gaining insight into the industry and the fun projects he’s been involved in. But wait, there’s more! Make sure to check out this episode because we also talked about a bunch of other topics - how ball is life for Vish but not for me (he taught me the difference between traveling vs. double dribbling vs carrying), how he maintains his model physique while still eating junk food (what is this witchcraft??), and how he doesn’t squat heavy (twinning!).

Kabir’s musical prowess and unshakeable self-assurance stem from his upbringing in a close-knit and musical family. His paternal lineage includes the world-renowned group of Indian artists, the Partap Brothers, and growing up surrounded by their sounds inspired Kabir to pursue his own musical path. Kabir’s mission is clear: to introduce his distinctive look and sound to the world, and expand public conceptions of what modern Pop and R&B can be. He aims to surprise and enthrall his audiences, infusing each moment with music and rhythm. We met up with Kabir in New York, where he talked to us about his passion for music and some of the dope experiences he’s had so far on his fairly new journey. It was awesome hearing him speak about his inspirations, challenges, aspirations, as well as lessons he’s learned along the way! Check out this episode to hear us also chat about a bunch of other topics - what Kabir does for fun on Fridays (his answer may surprise you!), how he actually enjoys London weather (it’s always soo gloomy though), and how awesome it was growing up and and being in jam sessions with the Partap brothers.

Anjali Taneja is a Washington, D.C.-based R&B artist who weaves together Indian melodies and soulful rhythmic elements. Trained in Indian classical and Jazz music from a young age, Anjali strives to seamlessly blend Western and Eastern themes in her original music. She recently released two singles, one of which was a track she wrote & composed with acclaimed Punjabi singer Pav Dharia, and plans to release a series of singles followed by an EP over the next several months. Anjali Taneja joined me in the studio, where she talked about her background and how she got started with music. It was dope learning about some of her inspirations and the experiences she had during her previous projects! Check out the show to also hear us talk about things like spirit animals (are they the same as your favorite animal?), how Anjali sometimes channels Alicia keys before her performances (if you're seen her live, she definitely does!), and what success means to her (deep stuff yo).

Bikram Singh started his fashion journey in 2013 with Turban Inc. Since that time, he has collaborated with some of the top fashion icons and companies such as Daniel Wellington. He has taken part in several fashion shows around the globe and has been included in blogs and media content covering Sikhs in fashion. Bikram joined me in the New York studio to chat about his journey as a fashion model - it was great hearing about his experiences in the industry and also learning about his outfit game and fashion insight. Bikram also shared upcoming projects he’s working on, such as a monthly South Asian Fashion Meet Up in NYC, where Bikram shares his story in fashion and hosts a photoshoot for those looking to get into modeling/fashion. We also talked about other fun things - Bikram’s experiences as a working professional in the finance and business industry and his goal to possibly retire early by leveraging the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, what it’s like being a dholi at Punjabi wedding receptions, and how he would enjoy playing the villain in films.

Jabar Jung is a Director and Photographer with a background in Art Direction and Cinematography. He currently works as a full time Wedding Photographer in NY, and is also in the process of Directing some exciting upcoming projects. Fun fact: He's in a Racquetball League and takes it very seriously. Jabar Jung came through (and even helped me setup the studio!) for this week’s shoot. I enjoyed meeting him and chatting about his journey as a film and music video director and cinematographer, wedding and fashion photographer, and story teller. It was super fun hearing his story and learning about his experiences! And as always, you know I talked and asked questions about totally random things. Check out the interview to see/hear Jabar Jung talk about how healthy Punjabi food doesn’t exist (my mother will totally disagree), his passion for collecting books (but not actually getting around to reading them), and how he enjoys people watching and observing people (in a totally not creepy way).

Harleen Kaur Chhabra is the designer and founder of the Harleen Kaur brand, which specializes in contemporary South Asian womenswear and menswear. Harleen spent several years working with amazing teams at various fashion labels in New York, where her desire to blend her American, Punjabi and Thai culture to create unique, versatile clothing gave rise to the Harleen Kaur brand. For this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Harleen and learning about her new clothing collection, Harleen Kaur 2019. It was great learning about the inspiration behind Harleen’s brand and her experience in the fashion and clothing industry. During our fun conversation, we also talked about a bunch of random (but totally relevant) topics like: How McDonald’s creatively uses Kale, Game of Thrones, and Oat Milk.

Runjeet Singh is a UK-born art dealer born to Sikh Punjabi parents who emigrated to England in the 1970’s. He’s one of the only professional dealers specializing in Asian Arms and Armor in the world and has sold to the world’s most important museums, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Royal Armouries in England. Runjeet graciously hosted me at his new exhibit in New York, where we discussed his passion for arms and armoire - we had an excellent conversation about his journey as a dealer and consultant. We also discussed his new exhibit, titled ‘Treasures from Asian Armories’! During our conversation, we also chatted about a variety of topics such as: British accents, his interest in other Sikh artists, and whether Gordon Ramsey’s anger issues are real or not.

Ramandip Singh is a contemporary artist and educator living in Virginia. Using oil paint, he portrays stories of places he has visited, moments he has experienced, and people that have played a role in his life. In the landscape work, he focuses on using a palette knife style to create textural atmosphere. Raman joined me in the studio to chat about his awesome experiences - we had a great conversation about his passion for painting and his journey as an artist and teacher. Throughout our chat, we also talked about Supernatural (an awesome show that will never end), Raman’s adventures in Italy, and his love for Linkin Park. Raman was also kind enough to provide some constructive feedback about a special painting that I once made...

Daniel Roberts is a super talented musician, teacher, podcast host, and all-around cool guy. During this show, Daniel joined me to chat about his podcast “Unmake My Enemy” where he explores cultural, psychological, social, political and religious topics through artistic collaborations and discussions with exciting and challenging artists from a wide variety of backgrounds. We also talked about his journey as a musician, performer, and music teacher, his passion for fusion and experimenting with new sounds, and whether or not he would perform with Cardi B.

For the first episode of this show, I was delighted to have GURL join me at the studio to chat about her journey as a singer/song-writer/performer and the upcoming release of her first EP, Ambivalence. In addition to discussing her song-writing and recording process, we also talked about her involvement in charities and non-profit organizations, her past obsession with Justin Bieber, UMBC pride, and GURL’s creative use of Tinder (wild stuff haha).