“Haryanvi Ka Apna Ek Tevar Hai”: Sonu Nigam Opens Up About ‘Chunni’, His First Independent Haryanvi Song, Says “I Just Copied Him Completely”

Sonu Nigam is stepping into a new musical territory, and this time, it is especially close to his roots. The legendary playback singer has released Chunni, his first independent Hindi-Haryanvi song, featuring popular Haryanvi singer Renuka Panwar. Released on August 7, the romantic, folk-flavoured track is more than just a new single for Sonu—it is an opportunity to reconnect with Haryana and explore a language he has heard and understood for years but had never quite attempted to sing independently in its authentic style.

Speaking about the experience, Sonu Nigam summed up the charm of the language perfectly, saying, “Of course, this language has its own style. The Haryanvi language has a different style.” For a singer known for moving effortlessly between languages and genres, getting the Haryanvi dialect right was still a learning experience. Sonu admitted that understanding the language and actually speaking or singing it with the right flavour are two very different things. And instead of taking the easy route, the veteran singer decided to learn directly from someone who knew the language inside out.

Sonu credited Amin, who worked closely with him on the song, for helping him understand the nuances of Haryanvi. Praising Amin's command over the language, he said, “He’s very good, because he writes very well. He has a very good understanding of the language. His thinking is good.” Sonu then offered a refreshingly candid insight into his own approach to learning the song, admitting, “So I didn’t do anything. I just copied him completely.” The singer even made sure Amin corrected him whenever necessary, knowing that authenticity mattered more than simply delivering the lines.

In fact, Sonu was completely aware of the responsibility that came with singing in a language that has such a distinctive personality. “Please don’t be indifferent, because right now I don’t know your language as well as you do,” he recalled telling Amin. While Sonu understands Haryanvi and has spent much of his life around Haryanvi-speaking people in Delhi, he explained that speaking it naturally and correctly requires something more. “Now, we understand Haryanvi. We understand the whole language because there are a lot of Haryanvi people in Delhi. But speaking it like that, and speaking it correctly…” is where the real learning began for him.

The singer's honesty makes Chunni all the more interesting. After decades of experience, Sonu Nigam could easily have approached a new language with complete confidence. Instead, he chose to acknowledge that he was learning. “I may have made some mistakes somewhere, but I tried my best to learn whatever I could from him,” he said. That humility is perhaps what makes this musical experiment feel genuine—the song isn't about Sonu simply putting his voice on a Haryanvi track; it is about him stepping into the culture and trying to understand its rhythm, pronunciation and attitude.

There is also a deeply personal reason why Chunni came into existence. Sonu revealed that he had requested his family to do something different for him every year on his birthday, and this time the idea eventually took shape as a song. He recalled, “I requested all my family, sir, to do something different every year on my birthday, and my birthday is always celebrated here. So I requested them to make me something nice.” He went on to acknowledge the people involved in bringing the project together, including Amit, Ashish, Pandit Ji, Rajkumar, Ajay and Amin, before Renuka Panwar became part of the musical journey.

For Sonu, this is also a long-awaited connection with his own Haryana identity. “I’ve sung in a film before, maybe one or two old ones. But this is my first time because I’m from Haryana,” he said. He pointed out that while he has explored different languages through his independent music, including Oriya, he had not previously released an independent Haryanvi song. “In all the independent music I’ve done, I’ve done some special Haryana songs, but I’ve done Oriya songs, but I haven’t done any independent Haryana songs yet,” he added.

With Renuka Panwar bringing her distinctive Haryanvi voice and folk sensibility to the track, Chunni creates an interesting meeting point between Sonu's celebrated playback legacy and the energy of contemporary Haryanvi music. The song carries the flavour of a romantic folk number while allowing Sonu to explore a sound that is culturally familiar yet artistically new for him. It is the kind of collaboration that feels both rooted and fresh.

And it appears that Chunni may only be the beginning. Sonu made it clear that he is not treating this as a one-off experiment. “So I’m very happy. This is my first song, and after this, I’ll release more,” he said. That statement could be music to the ears of fans who have long enjoyed his ability to adapt to different musical traditions.

At a time when regional Indian music is travelling far beyond its traditional boundaries, Sonu Nigam's Haryanvi debut arrives with an especially personal flavour. Chunni isn't just about a celebrated singer trying something different; it is about an artist returning to a language connected to his roots and approaching it with the curiosity of a newcomer. And perhaps the most charming part of the story is that after decades of singing, Sonu Nigam is still willing to say, “I just copied him completely”—because sometimes, even legends have to become students before they can truly find a new voice.

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