What better way to kick off 2023 than another Senior Spotlight article? This time, we’ll be putting the spotlight on the one and only Hirdhe Singh.
As always, let’s do some history first. Hirdhedyal “Hirdhe” Singh was born in New York City and moved to Edgemont in kindergarten. His name, ਹਿਰਦੇ - Hirdhe (Hirr-they), comes from the Punjabi word for heart. He has two younger siblings. Hirdhe and his siblings aren’t the first generation of Singh’s at Edgemont, though. His father also grew up and attended school here, while his mother was born in India. Hirdhe attended Greenville Elementary School and is now part of the Class of 2023 at Edgemont High School.
What sets Hirdhe apart from all the others in the Class of 2023? It would have to be his prodigious musical talent. Hirdhe is nothing short of an instrumental maestro, being proficient in over 15 different musical instruments. This includes guitar, bass guitar, baritone guitar, saxophone, drums, piano-- and the list goes on. Name an instrument, and there’s a reasonably good chance that Hirdhe knows how to play it. Wikipedia tells me that makes him a “multi-instrumentalist,” a title that’s 10/10 for impressiveness.
No one can accuse Hirdhe of not applying these skills at school. He’s practically in every musical group there is to join in Edgemont: he plays alto saxophone and drums in Band, guitar in Jazz Band, baritone guitar in Jazz Ensemble, and bass guitar and vocals in Chamber Choir.
Hirdhe’s been pursuing a music career outside of school as well. He was recently featured in an album alongside fellow Edgemont musicians and alumni Ben Jeske, Shreyas Nair, and Cam Siegel. Their EP is called Runway under the artist name Shrey & Jeske and is currently available for listening on Spotify, iTunes, and places. “Please check it out if you’d like to hear some of our stuff!” says Hi rdhe.
With the impressive arsenal of musical instruments at his disposal, which one does Hirdhe consider to be his favorite? “The Sarangi, this instrument I picked up just last year actually,” he says. “It is like the hardest instrument to play in my opinion. Not only does it have over 40 strings (a lot of tuning), but you have to use the cuticles of your fingernails to play it! It also requires a really attuned ear and understanding of singing. This instrument will always hold a special place in my heart because of how angelic and communicative its voice is.” The prospect of 40 strings terrifies me, but if anyone can make that work, it’s Hirdhe.
Hirdhe’s personal taste in music is as diverse as his skillset. He says “As far as music is concerned, I love playing music whenever I can. I currently focus on singing, playing guitar and the sarangi. Some English musical artists I have been listening to a lot recently are Gurtej, NAV, Charlie Puth, Gracie Abrams, Ingrid Andress, Lizzy McAlpine, Halsey, Juice WRLD, Taylor Swift, Holly Humberstone and The 1975 amongst many other artists. On top of that, a good portion of my music consumption is Punjabi music and Indian classical music. I really don’t believe that any music genre is better than any other. Any style of music is music to my ears.”
He also says that “Outside of school and music, I really enjoy spending time with my friends, family and my dog Mimmie. I love playing tennis and going for runs as well.”
When asked about anything else regarding his identity that he wanted to share, Hirdhe had this to say: “I am a Sikh, I don’t cut my hair. In my religion we believe that we should honor the gifts that God has given us (such as hair). For me, another reason for keeping my uncut hair stems from beliefs such as, “Why cut my hair and look like everyone else to try and fit in?” when I feel like my purpose as a human being is to stand out. I think there is so much beauty in accepting that each and every one of us has something unique and special that makes us who we are. Besides, what’s the use in changing ourselves to pass for someone we aren’t?
Because of this, you’ll see me around campus wearing my beautiful unshorn beard and a turban which covers my unshorn hair (as a sign of respect for others and ourselves).”
Finally, Hirdhe said this about his future plans: “I plan to study music in college while also furthering my knowledge in vocology and voice pathology. As an artist, I have some really exciting potential upcoming projects and plans with musicians and friends who share my love for music. I just can't describe the feeling I get when I am in a studio and recording with fellow musicians. In the near future I might even get the opportunity of touring and playing some shows with artists such as Nabeel Khan (my sarangi teacher) and my G, Gurtej (an extraordinary American singer/musician who is also a Sikh like me). If you haven’t heard of Gurtej, he has done shows with NAV and other Punjabi artists. Please go check his music out, I’d highly recommend it. At the time I am writing this, his new upcoming song,“City Lights,” which I love, isn’t out yet, but should be released by the time you read this.”
So there you have it: Hirdhe Singh, instrumental maestro of EHS and an all-in-all rad dude. If you want to see him perform first-hand, the best time to do so would be at Chanticleer’s up-coming open mic event on March 3rd (6-8pm) in the E building. Until next time, this has been senior spotlights.