Tonal tricks

Music should change and bring about a change,says pop singer Usha Uthup

I am a compulsive optimiMusic should change and bring about a change,says pop singer Usha Uthup zst and music for me is a medium through which I have identified myself and through which I am able to bring happiness in the lives of people,” says the singer whose identity is more than just music. Having sung in more than thirteen Indian and eight foreign languages and been there for four decades now,Usha Uthup says that all she needs to create a spark is the microphone and an audience. “I often joke that people should clap for me the most or never enjoy any other show more than mine but that is the sincerity I have towards my work. We need to hate the word retirement until we start to respect it. It is wrongly interpreted here to indicate the end of our activities unlike in the western countries where it means enjoying and having fun,” she added speaking during the launch of Dignity Donor Privilege Programme for elderly citizens by Dignity Foundation. Uthup also performed for the elderly citizens on the occasion. Also present and supporting the cause was Shobhana Ranade,Gandhian and social worker along with Lakshmi Ramamurthy general manager,Pune chapter and Sheilu Sreenivasan founder president.

Although absent in the Hindi music industry for a while now,besides launching an album she will be also singing for Vishal Bhardwaj’s film soon. Citing the change over the decades she adds,”I did not have any platform or a godfather while growing as a singer. Today the shows on television explore the vast talent in our country,which is an incredible feat. The sea change that has occurred over the years especially in terms of technology is perhaps the best thing that could happen to our music except the fact that the warmth is missing due to the fast pace. Music has changed too but change is inevitable and music is cyclic.”