New talents on the Indipop firmament are rapidly growing.. These days, the Bhangra pop scene is more in demand. After Daler Mehndi, Sukhbir, Gurdass Mann, Bhupinder Chawla and the latest craze Hans Raj Hans .. Ashok Mastie the popular singer of Ye hai Mastie is said to be the next pasha from Punjab, and all set to reach at the top.

This Punjabi Munda is basically a Delhiite. His original roots are from Gidderbaha, which is also the hometown of the well known Punjabi folk singer Gurdass Mann. A trained singer and an accomplished artist, Ashok Mastie steals a march on the other singers by being a live wire on stage and has already a large fan base all over India as well as abroad.

Ashok Mastie stands apart in the world of Indipop stars that depend solely in their videos to carry them to fame. He too started with his Punjabi debut album ‘Munde Vikao Ne’ which was a notable release. Last year, he shot to fame with his solo album release ‘Ye Hai Mastie by Times Music.

Opportunities came and went by , but the big break came when Times Music approached him. Ashok Mastie( aka Mastie), popular number Wah Bhai Wah from his solo album Ye hai Mastie from Times Music, has rendered a rhythmic, skipping song that lends itself to instant snapping fingers and perhaps a well timed leap onto the dance floor. His songs have variations from classical to traditional Punjabi to folk songs. He feels,” My songs are different and they are loved by my fans. I always try to give the best in each of my songs. With those typical Punjabi folk songs I have tried to render different flavors of life in Punjab. “

Mastie has so far given brilliant performances in Delhi Bombay, Pune and Jaipur, apart from places in north India. Invited regularly for performances abroad -- in Canada USA Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi Mastie is so versatile--- switching instantly from traditional Punjabi folk music to Hindi Pop songs to suit the moods and cultural background of his audiences.

Talking about his earlier days, Mastie says, “ Like many other singers from Punjab, I too have drawn inspiration from the success of Gurdass Mann The initial days were tough, there was family pressures in the galore, though my sister helped me a lot.” he says.
Later Mastie shifted to Chandigarh where he joined a theatre group. Apart from looking after the lights and Bhangra props, Mastie also acted in the plays and traveled a lot all over Punjab. “Slowly, This theatre experience,
I guess helped me perform better in front of the audience,” claims Mastie.

Hasn’t he ever thought of taking up playback singing seriously? The answer: “ I have few playback songs for Bollywood in the pipeline. Incidentally this year's award winning regional film Laddo- a Haryanvi movie, includes my Sufiana song “Deewane hi Deewane”says Mastie.
If films have taken a back seat in his career Ashok Mastie plans to give onstage performance, which according to him is definitely the best option. For the moment, he is busy churning out new tunes at Mumbai, for his next forthcoming album, courtesy Times Music, which is likely to be released in September 2000.
He is pinning his hopes on this new release.
Let's wait and see how he sounds as mast as ever: and the confidence will be there for all to see.

By Piyali Dasgupta