by Samantha Syrnich TLC
This morning, I stumbled across a gem — “Oceans Apart” by Sutej Singh. There are no words for lyrics in this song, yet none are needed. It speaks directly to the soul, pulling light and shadow into sound. A second discovery, just three months old, followed soon after — “Restless.” Together, these works reveal a composer who doesn’t just play — he paints with strings, breathes with rhythm, and sculpts silence into meaning.
Sutej Singh is a progressive rock guitarist and composer hailing from Solan, Himachal Pradesh. He masterfully fuses technical precision with cinematic emotion, carrying echoes of John Petrucci and David Gilmour while forging a voice uniquely his own. His debut album The Emerging (2018) soared to the top of Apple Music India’s Rock Charts. Now, with his second album, Restless | Relentless, he blends soaring textures with Indian classical fusion — evident in tracks like Kaadambari. His presence on global stages has already placed him alongside the masters, from opening for Steve Vai to igniting festivals such as Ziro, Bandland, and Independence Rock.
But beyond accolades and performance, the music itself breathes. “Oceans Apart” unfolds like a journey across inner landscapes — currents of yearning and resilience rising in instrumental waves. “Restless” is exactly what it promises: alive with pulse, searching, driving forward as though refusing to let the spirit sit still. These pieces remind me why music doesn’t need words to translate truth.
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Just a couple of nights ago, I stepped into a small gas station in Blaine, Washington, right at the Canadian border. Blaine is the town I claim as my true hometown — not because I was brought up in that part of the county, but because it is where I have spent most of my adult life. It’s where I had my home of ten years. It is also the only town in this county where I feel any sense of home when I visit — the only place here I would ever want to live, if I weren’t trying to escape this area entirely.
To my surprise, behind the register was the old man who owned the store. He is someone I have long respected — Mr. Gill, who once served as the President of the very first Sikh temple in our county, before others were built. Now an elderly man, he carries himself with the kind of quiet dignity that only years of wisdom can give.
When he saw me, he smiled and said, “You come. Every time you come see me here, I teach you new Punjabi words.”
That night, he taught me how to say “How are you?” in Punjabi:
ਤੁਸੀਂ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਹੋ? (Tusi kiven ho?)
And how to reply “Good”:
ਠੀਕ ਹਾਂ (Theek haan).
Or even to say playfully, “So so good”:
ਬਹੁਤ ਵਧੀਆ (Bahut vadhiya).
He giggled as he explained that this is how some Sikhs now say it, with warmth and humor.
This was the third time in just two weeks that I had been invited, by three different beautiful souls, to come back and visit the temple. I was told there is even a new one now, newly built. And I believe I will take them up on this invitation soon. It will be a joy to return.
I respect deeply the togetherness shown to me by cultures that have come from other countries to America — lawfully, honorably — and have contributed to society in meaningful ways here. My encounters with the Sikh community have most always been full of grace. They remind me how much I still have to learn in whatever time remains for me on this earth.
But I also dream of something more — not just to experience cultures through the bridges they build here, but to see them alive in their own homelands, in their human form, with my own eyes. There is so much of this world I still long to see. And even in the smallest moments — like learning Theek haan at a gas station counter — I feel the world open just a little wider.
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And that same widening of the soul is what I feel when I hear Sutej Singh’s music. Though he comes from Sikh roots, this sound is not traditional Sikh music. It is something entirely new — progressive, cinematic, transcendent. It pulls you in as though it were a hug to your very soul, without even using words at all. It is music that doesn’t need translation because it already speaks the language of the heart.
I am now excited to listen to much more of Sutej Singh’s music and to hear all they he has to offer this world. He is going to become a staple for me, a soundtrack I will return to again and again.
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🎶 Listen to the Songs
• Oceans Apart (YouTube): https://youtu.be/6TjuH1FJIys?si=9EyJvMNHSrGIgxv3
• Restless (YouTube, 3 months old): https://youtu.be/iGzzVSmsp0E?si=Y0aEl88RLvyJupwQ
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🌐 Connect with the Artist
Sutej Singh’s music is available on all platforms worldwide. Here are three to begin your journey:
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/sutejsinghmusic
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SutejSinghMusic
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1LQ87p0qt30EhS..
For those who want to explore further, his work can also be found across Apple Music, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, TikTok, X, and more — a full constellation of places where his sound travels.
Art: Restless Sound in Motion
[No affiliation to artist. Art is my own]
✨ #OceansApart #RespectAllCultures #MusicThatSpeaks
© 2025 Samantha Syrnich TLC
All rights reserved.
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