By Kalent Zaiz
Today, we have the honor to feature a great and talented musician! But don't take my words for granted. Let's chat with the voice behind all this healing and empowerment, Hargo Khalsa.
KZ: Hi, Hargo; it is a pleasure to have you sharing your time with us. The world has an emotional, physiological, and economic situation. And it is almost impossible not to talk about it. As a human and artist, with all of the challenging times now with COVID-19 and the race situation, what message would you like to share with people?
Oh my God, wild times we are in! As an artist, it's been bewildering for me, more than anything, to have all gatherings of more than 20 people restricted. Of course, I understand why, but as someone who makes music and does live events, it's been a major shift in my approach to sharing my music. I released an album only a few weeks before COVID hit here in the U.S. I played two shows, and then... boom—no more shows. I have to say I was a bit depressed for a while. But it's not personal; we're all in this boat together. That brings me to my thoughts on this as a human... For the first time in recorded history, we are all, basically everyone on this planet, affected and unified by a common experience... COVID-19. There is so much fear and hardship, isolation and struggle happening, and everyone relates to it differently. But we ARE all dealing with it. COVID shows us how fragile our systems are and how unsustainable our way of living has become that pandemonium can break out after a week of no toilet paper! I hope and pray that we can embrace and recognize that we're all on this giant spinning rock together. We are one people. And it's up to us to decide HOW we want to live and build our culture from here forward.
KZ: Every human has an interior fire full of questions about what they want to be or become. When and how did you discover yourself as a musician, and what is your message as a musician?
I knew I would be a musician after the first three chords I learned on guitar at age 7. When I started singing and playing music with my mom & dad (they're both musicians), it was the best thing ever as a kid! My message... it's constantly evolving. I write very intuitively. Usually, something flows straight through, and I don't necessarily know what a song is about until part of the way through writing it. The common themes are usually lessons I've learned through the ups and downs of life. Things I feel: love, doubt, heartbreak, disillusionment, hope, empowerment. I think empowerment is more than anything. I believe in people.
KZ: Congratulations on the release of your album "SATURN RETURN"! How many songs are there? And for those in our audience who don't know you yet, what do you call the genre or genres of the music you sing?
Thank you! The album culminated in massive growth in my life, some tough years between 28-30 y/o. There are nine songs on the album, and I put them in sequence to share the experience I went through in my own Saturn Return. For those who don't know what that is... Saturn Return is an astrological phenomenon of the planet Saturn coming back to the position it was at in its orbit around the Sun when you were born. There's about a two-year window when astrologers say we go through a massive life shift. This happens between ages 28-30 because it takes Saturn about 29 1/2 years to go around the Sun. It's a time of looking at how you've lived until then and preparing for a deeper and more authentic role in your life and the world.
KZ: What is the message behind the lyrics and the visual representations?
KZ: Does your music talk about your personal experiences? How did you overcome the challenges in sharing your and other people's feelings?
KZ: Regarding your composition, are other musicians inspiring you?
KZ: What is life without music for Hargo?
KZ: What songs have you listened to that are therapeutic for you?
KZ: What keeps you busy when not involved in music?
KZ: What does the rest of the human race mean for Hargo?
KZ: Name your three favorite singers or musicians and why?
KZ: What would you say to all newbie singers and musicians about overcoming obstacles to achieve their goals?
KZ: Do you have any major plans you would like to share?
Today's quote.
"Don't confuse language, color, and culture with ignorance. We came to this world to grow together." Lesson learned!
Life is great. That's right!
We'll see you in the next installment of: "THE THIRTEEN QUESTIONS " by Kalent Zaiz.
