Folk Studio

In 2006,Shilpa Rao sang To se naina laage for the film Anwar. The song became so popular that the rest is history. Known for her soulful melodies in a number of Bollywood films,Rao has cemented her place in the industry in less than a decade. Her latest project is a tour with Hard Rock Café […]

In 2006,Shilpa Rao sang To se naina laage for the film Anwar. The song became so popular that the rest is history. Known for her soulful melodies in a number of Bollywood films,Rao has cemented her place in the industry in less than a decade. Her latest project is a tour with Hard Rock Café (HRC) where she will re-introduce the audience to the roots of Bollywood,or rather,Indian music. My performances will include a mix of Bollywood tracks that Ive sung,and folksy stuff that I will present in a new style. Music is a reflection of peoples taste. As the taste changes,so does the trend in music. Now,the trend is retro. People want to revisit stuff that their parents or grandparents listened to,so why not give them a tour of our folk songs,which is the basis of Indian music? says Rao,who will perform at HRC,Koregaon Park,on Thursday. Ask her what her favourite folk song is and without missing a second,she replies Chhalla. I will be singing it at my gig too.

Though she talks about revisiting folk music,Rao emphasises on doing so in a new style. She believes that it is a musicians job to keep introducing new varieties of music. The most important part of being a musician is to keep in touch with the audience,the ever-changing trends of the music scene in India and abroad, says Rao.

So she regularly visits concerts by indie bands as well as international artistes to keep a tab on the trends. If you want to cook,you must taste; if you want to write,you must read. Similarly,if you want to sing,you must listen, she adds. Rao reveals that she will be trying a new style for Pritams composition soon but is tightlipped about other future projects.

Trained in classical music,Rao was exposed to various genres of music during her childhood. My father was a classical singer,so I used to hear him practise ragas and sing ghazals. My brother was a jazz pianist,so there was a lot of jazz music too played at home, recalls Rao,as she points out that the first criteria for an aspiring musician is to be open to various genres of music.

Every genre of music that I listened to has had a different influence on me as a vocalist. Every genre has something new to teach me and make me understand myself in a better way, she adds. Apart from singing some chart-topping hits in Bollywood,such as Manmarziyaan in Lootera and Subhaanallah in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani,Rao was also a member of an indie act,Band Called Nine,which released their debut album titled Rewind in 2011.

The band worked with a genre of folk music called Qissa Goi,which fused the elements of storytelling into song writing. Along with Rao,the band included lyricist Neelesh Misra and composer Amartya Rahut. After our debut album,everyone has got busy with their own work. We have kept the band on hold for now, says Rao,who will be performing along with a new set of musicians during her HRC tour.

Shilpa Rao will perform at

Hard Rock Café,Koregaon Park,

on Thursday,8 pm onwards

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