A recent press statement issued by a brother from the music group RDB, Manj Ral, announcing that he was going solo, has caused alarm across the music industry and bands loyal fanbase alike.
However, the youngest brother Surjeet Ral (better known as Surj RDB), has confirmed to the Asian Express during his recent visit to his hometown Bradford, that he intends to continue the legacy of RDB.
It is widely known that whilst Kuly was the musical leader, and Manj his musical foil, Surj’s influence on the musical direction of the group was key to their success, which led them to be one of UK’s first music artists to break into Bollywood.
In addition to fronting the group with his brothers, Surj also was responsible for handling the group’s business affairs which in turn saw RDB soar to Bollywood success with hits like ‘Singh Is King’ with Snoop Dogg, ‘Kambakkht Ishq’, ‘Aloo Chaat’, ‘Paisa Paisa’, and ‘Sadi Gali’ from Tanu Weds Manu to name but a few.
Driven by his passion to produce music, Surj says that he has no intention of backing down from the music scene and that he will always carry the torch in honour of his eldest brother Kuldeep Ral (Kuly), who passed away in 2012.
Surj says: “I was sad to see my brother Manj leave RDB. Along with my late brother Kuly, he was one of the founders of the group. He will be missed, but I wish him all the best in his solo career.”
Kuly’s dream was to spread the sound of RDB to all the corners of the world and entertain fans by creating a signature sound, which was immediately identifiable as the RDB sound.
Surj is already working to honour the group’s promise to their fans – to release a new album entitled “Worldwide” via RDB’s own record label ‘Three Records’ later this year.
Surj disclosed that he intends to bring the unique sound of RDB, which comprises of several other members of the existing RDB team, to the forefront of the group.
Surj continued: “I will strive to honour and preserve RDB’s music, and continue to present live performances to uphold the legacy of our brother Kuly Ral.
“The team and myself, would like to personally thank all our fans for listening, enjoying and dancing to our music since we started out.
“I’m not about to retire.
“I promise to keep the name RDB alive for you all. I would also like to respectfully thank my parents for their continuing support and personally thank all the music industry for the support in the name of Paaj.”
RDB’s latest song in Bollywood – ‘Tamache Pe Disco’ from Bollywood hit ‘Bullet Raja’ was highly acclaimed and Surj promises that there’s definitely more hits set to come from the RDB quarters in the coming months.
RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) formed over a decade ago and have enjoyed international success with a string of hit songs. RDB are widely regarded as having instigated the change in perception to UK-Asian music by introducing the likes of Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and T-Pain to the Bhangra-Bollywood scene. As well as creating their own unique RDB sound, the group has performed and rocked stages across the globe.
