Music of meaning

One of the few female solo artistes Singh has also performed internationally and along with with ghazal maestros like Ghulam Ali,Pankaj Udas,Anup Jalota and so on. Trained for classical music by Pandit Krishnanandji she chose to become a ghazal exponent after moving to Mumbai. “Classical singing is a skill,which is very individualistic to the performer whereas to be a ghazal singer one needs a shrill voice and a personality. The remark of my guru Ustad Faiyaz Ahmed Khan that I am perfect for ghazal singing put me into this decades back and my classical base helped a lot. I am very particular about the Urdu lyrics I choose while keeping them simple most of the times so that all listeners can grasp. I feel lyrics form the base and the rest is dependent on the presenter,” adds the singer who has several albums to her credit including Alfaz,Shukriya and Meera Bhajans.

The introduction of Gazals in films she feels have also made them popular although the restrictions of time have held back their proper presentation. “ Contemporary singers like Zafar Gorakhpuri,Faiz Ahmed Faiz appeal to me. While ghazals earlier were thought to be only for senior citizens artistes as well as Hindi film composers have popularized them extensively and I come across many young listeners who show immense interest. They are after all about expressions,” she concludes.