Six new singers take Bollywood by storm in six months

Saba Azad

Recall Value: Dil ki toh lag gayi,Dhak dhak (Nautanki Saala)

Charting The Chartbuster: For Saba Azad,music was incidental to acting on stage — she was with Delhi theatre company Jana Natya Mancha. The spark in her voice found an outlet after she moved to Mumbai and began participating in casual jamming sessions with independent musicians. Her sultry,languid style of singing was put to excellent use by composer Mikey McCleary in Dil Ki Toh Lag Gayi and a reworked version of Dhak dhak from Rohan Sippy’s Nautanki Saala.

“I wasn’t told about the song before recording,and when I came to know it is Madhuri’s iconic Dhak dhak,I got scared,” says the 24-year-old actor-musician.

She also has a band,Madboy/ Mink with boyfriend Imad Shah.

Idols Idols: Pink Floyd,Jimi Hendrix,AR Rahman,Ram Sampath,Mikey McCleary,qawwali,Punjabi folk

More To Follow: Sonali Cable

Mili Nair

Recall Value: Meethi boliyan (Kai Po Che)

Charting The Chartbuster: That Mili Nair is well-versed with western music is evident from Kai Po Che’s breezy chartbuster Meethi boliyan. But the singer is trained in western classical as well as Carnatic music.

“Asking me to pick one genre would be like asking me to choose a family member,” says the 28-year old singer,who finished eight grades of training at the Trinity College of Music and being a Malayali girl,went through the mandatory Carnatic classical training.

Nair got her first break in Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan,and more recently in Raanjhanaa’s Tamil version,Ambikapathy. With Amit Trivedi,her association started in Coke Studio and continued with Meethi boliyan.

“I got to bring my jazz elements towards the end of the song. I am lucky to have worked with Rahman sir and Amit who are open to new voices,” she says.

Besides film music,Nair is also an independent singer-songwriter.

Idol’s Idols: AR Rahman,Amit Trivedi,Vishal Shekhar,Pink Floyd,Coldplay and Sting.

More To Follow: More with Rahman and Trivedi.

Master’s Views: Abhishek Kapoor,director,Kai Po Che: “Her voice conveyed the right emotions and carried the vibes of the song,and once I heard it,I knew it was bang on.”

Neeti Mohan

Recall Value: Nazar laaye (Raanjhanaa)

Charting The Chartbuster: Recording a song in the presence of AR Rahman,Yash Chopra and Gulzar is likely to be intimidating,especially if one is a newcomer. But Neeti Mohan sealed the opportunity to make it her biggest career boost. Her spirited and spunky Jiya re from Jab Tak Hai Jaan became the album’s biggest hit,which followed the success of her debut Bollywood song,Ishq wala love from Student of the Year.

Originally from Delhi,the 28-year old Mohan,once a member of pop band Aasma,is a regular in Rahman concerts whom she considers as her “mentor and guru”.

Idol’s Idols: A lot of jazz,including Louis Armstrong and Chick Corea. AR Rahman,Amit Trivedi,Vishal-Shekhar,songs of Lata-Asha.

More To Follow: Kashmir se kanyakumari from Chennai Express,songs in Gulab Gang and songs with Amit Trivedi and Rahman.

Master’s Views: Shekhar Ravjiani of Team Vishal-Shekhar: “She is a very versatile singer and can sing any genre from a ballad to a dance number. We have many more songs coming up with her.”

Ankit Tiwary

Recall Value: Sun raha hai na tu (Aashiqui 2)

Charting The Chartbuster: Behind the anthem of a lovelorn rockstar in Aashiqui 2 is a man who grew up around the musical environment of jagrans of mata ki chowki,Hindustani classical and Bollywood music in Kanpur.

Even though 26-year-old Ankit Tiwary had composed songs in Do Dooni Chaar and Saheb Biwi aur Gansgter,its this year’s smash sufi-pop-rock hit from Aashiqui 2,that has given him his first success in Bollywood.

“I didn’t even know that I am going to sing the song,but when I presented it live in front of Mohit Suri,Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt,they were sure that they wanted my voice,” he says.

Idol’s Idols: Latin music,Pritam,Vishal Shekhar,Salim Sulaiman,Ismail Darbar,Mithoon,KK,Shreya and Arijit Singh.

More To Follow: Mohit Suri’s next and more film albums produced by T-Series.

Divya Kumar

Recall Value: Maston ka Jhund (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag),Shubharambh (Kai Po Che)

Charting The Chartbuster: Despite growing up in an environment steeped in film music (his father Bhagwan Pushkarna was a musician with the troupes of various music composers,from RD Burman to Jatin-Lalit) Divya Kumar nurtured a voice far removed from the smoothness associated with playback singers.

“I never thought I could sing for films,my voice never matched with that of the ideal screen voice,” says the 27-year old singer,who attributes his voice texture to his affinity for folk music. In less than a year,Kumar’s powerful,folksy vocals have been able to create an impact in songs such as Aafaton ke parindey (Ishaqzaade,dubstep) and Allah meherbaan (Ghanchakkar).

Idol’s Idols: A lot of Sufi and folk music

More To Follow: For Sachin-Jigar in Shuddh Desi Romance,and songs with Amit Trivedi,Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Master’s Views: Sachin-Jigar,music composer –

“Divya has a powerful voice which is surely going to last in Bollywood for long. We call him murki ustaad. music is literally in his blood given by his grandfather late Pandit Shivramji”

Monali Thakur

Recall Value: Sawaar loon (Lootera)

Charting The Chartbuster: The latest earworm,the lovingly old-fashioned Sawaar Loon isn’t Monali Thakur’s first hit song in Bollywood,but it has given a new lease of life to her singing career.

“I was only being offered peppy,dance numbers. But I wanted to show other sides of my singing too,” says the 27-year old singer originally from Kolkata,who had sung the two popular chartbusters from Race — Khawaab dekhe jhoothe and Zara zara touch me. She also sang the quirky Aga bai in Aiyyaa. Besides being a singer,Thakur wears many other hats — she was a judge with a Bengali music reality show,and is acting in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Laxmi and Abbas Tyrewala’s Mango.

Idol’s Idols: Coke Studio Pakistan producer Rohail Hyatt,Amit Trivedi,AR Rahman,Pritam,Sunidhi Chauha,Shalmoli Kholgade,Nandini Srikar,Shilpa Rao. American alternative rock band Imagine Dragons.

More To Follow: Krrish 3,Mango and Laxmi.

Master’s Views: Vikramaditya Motwane,director,Lootera – “She has a stunning voice: sweet and old fashioned,that worked for the film.”