Published: 09:09 AM, 01 June 2026
Adnan Sami on being questioned for his patriotism
In the late 1990s and 2000s Adnan Sami became the voice of pop for the South Asian community with songs like Lift Kara De and Tera Chehra. Recently, the singer redefined himself for the current generation with his latest single Lipstick, and he feels glad to be connecting with the youth. “I know all people are looking at today is that 15 second hook in their song, but I don’t let that govern my thought process. Although, unconsciously, my songs have always had those hooks, and so does Lipstick,” he says.
Talking about the music culture today being governed by algorithms more than art, Adnan Sami says, “Musicians today put so much emphasis on the hook that the rest of the song suffers at times. We don’t care about the rest of it but if you make a good song in its entirety, the hook will come on its own. But music today is data-driven, and while data is good for analysis, it will not help you make your next hit. Don’t allow yourself to be dictated by it and make you subservient to creativity.”
Apart from his music, Adnan’s views, especially political ones, make him hit the headlines a lot. His meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also subjected him to criticism and trolling earlier this year. The singer was born a Pakistani national, but chose to give up his citizenship and become an Indian citizen in 2016. While he is a vocal patriotic, his patriotism is often questioned due to his birth roots. Ask him if he has made peace with the fact that he will always be questioned by a section for being an Indian and he says, "Main unko maaf karta hun, they will learn eventually.”
