Parmy Dhillon’s new single, “India,” is a heartfelt ode to his roots, crafted in the wake of his father’s passing.
This track blends deep emotion with a vibrant celebration of Dhillon’s cultural heritage. The music video, directed by Gabriella Wheeler, pairs the song’s personal touch with eye-catching Bollywood-inspired visuals.
In this chat, Dhillon and Wheeler open up about their collaboration, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and the creative process that shaped their work. Get a peek into how they turned a deeply personal vision into a visually stunning piece of art.
Gabriella Wheeler
Happy: What are you up to today?
G.W: Probably get a coffee and have a chill day
Happy: Tell us a little about where you live, what do you love about it?
G.W: I live is a suburb about 20 minutes away from the city. It’s cute. It reminds me of a small town.
Happy: How did you work with each other to bring your vision to life?
G.W: When Parmy first told me about the song. I was really inspired by his passion.
We started talking about ideas and where we could go with the music video.
Happy: How did you meet?
G.W: I’ve been working with Parmy for about 6 years now. I was an actress for mad city, another music video of Parmy’s
Happy: Were there any challenges or setbacks during the music video production?
G.W: No. Everything just worked out. I think it was supposed to rain the day we filmed outside but didn’t end up.
Happy: What was the most rewarding part of the music video creation process?
G.W: Working with so many talented artists. We could all bring our craft into this.
Happy: How did you approach developing the concept for the music video based on the song? What were your initial ideas and how did they evolve?
G.W: I really wanted to do a fight scene with a monkey. Haha. I guess listening to the song you get the idea that it is a journey about a beautiful culture and not being Indian myself you have to research the culture.
See what a journey looks like for them. Then take what the emotion for parmy is and express it.
Happy: What was your vision for the visual style of the music video? How did you choose the aesthetic and colour palette?
G.W: It was cultural based. The beginning was in Australia so it was Australia style then we moved into this Bollywood India grace land
Happy: What were some of the most memorable moments or behind-the-scenes stories?
G.W: When we shot the dances it was so rainy. And that took a lot of looking at different angles and seeing if the colours were right
Happy: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re working on? What excites you most about your future as a director? As an artist
G.W: I have a few things in my back pocket. But I’m really excited to start working with actors in a different way. Bring different emotions to the screen
Happy: Lastly, what makes you Happy?
G.W: Lemons. They are just amazing.
Parmy Dhillon
Happy: What are you up to today?
P.D: Just working on a few new songs and catching up with a few friends
Happy: Tell us a little about where you live, what do you love about it?
P.D: I live in Melbourne, and I love the vibe, the music and art scene and also the coffee
Happy: What was the songwriting process like? Did you write the lyrics and melody together or separately?
P.D: I originally started writing down ideas for India shortly after my father passed away, nothing seemed to click and work so I just kept rewriting and rewriting until I felt like it captured the vibe I was looking for.
Most times, I tend to write music and melody first and do the lyrics last
Happy: What message do you hope listeners will take away from the song?
P.D: I think the overall message for me is about remembering who you are and celebrating your culture and background.
Happy: How did you work with each other to bring your vision to life? How did you meet?
P.D: I first met Gabriella when I was working on a short music film and she was an actress in it, ever since we have always done little projects together when we get the chance.
For this video, I had to learn to let go of control and really trust Gabriella with the vision she was bringing.
She’s very talented and creative in everything she does, which is something Ive always admired about her and she was just patient and understanding of what I wanted to achieve with this video and she really got the best out of everyone involved.
Plus, she gets bonus points for having to deal with me on set hahaha
Happy: What was your vision for the visual style of the music video? How did you choose the aesthetic and colour palette?
P.D: For me, it was just old school Bollywood, I just wanted it to look and feel like some of the movies I watched as a kid
Happy: Were there any challenges or setbacks during the music video production?
P.D: I think the biggest challenge for me was trusting in what I wanted to do for the video, it’s a very different video with a lot of things going on.
Happy: What was the most rewarding part of the music video creation process?
P.D: Just creating something that paid tribute to my culture and my dad.
And also working with such amazing people that help bring this to life.
Happy: How did you approach developing the concept for the music video based on the song? What were your initial ideas and how did they evolve?
P.D: We had a fair few different ideas for the video but I think the main thing was to capture the spirit and energy of the song and put out a video that felt like a Bollywood movie and I think we did that.
Happy: What were some of the most memorable moments or behind-the-scenes stories?
P.D: Hahaha so many, we are currently editing a doco on the whole video and song so I don’t want to give too much away.
But I would say just the process of seeing it come alive.
Happy: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re working on? What excites you most about your future as a director? As an artist?
P.D: I have a few projects going at the moment, but I’ve been on an extended vacation, the song and video has gone beyond any expectations I had for it so it’s been good to kick back and relax for awhile.
Gabriella and I are currently working on a couple of short films that we hope to start shortly and I’m always writing new songs so there will definitely be some new music coming as well as a live album that will accompany the doco.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you Happy?
P.D: Art, friends, family, doughnuts, and my cat Koby.
