AR Rahman says he forgot to thank ‘Jai Ho’ singers on Oscars stage, recalls Sukhwinder’s voice took the song to ‘another level’

On the occasion of World Music Day, AR Rahman shared a video on his YouTube channel and dedicated it to singer Sukhwinder Singh. Recalling the partnership that they have shared for almost 25 years, Rahman said that they first collaborated for a Bulle Shah poem for the film Thakshak, which was later changed to “Chaiyya Chaiyya” for Dil Se.

Rahman recalled that one of his most popular songs, Slumdog Millionaire’s “Jai Ho” had immense contribution from Sukhwinder, but he forgot to thank the singers (Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Vijay Prakash) as he received the Oscar trophy for the song.

“When I thanked everyone at the Oscars, I left out the singers’ names because of all the chaos in my mind. And I am really grateful to Sukhwinder Singh who sang the main part. Sukhwinder’s unique voice took the song to another level. Undeniably. I am really grateful for his patience, love and his musicality,” he said.

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Rahman added, “There is a sense of a vagabond in certain artistes. You can’t put a line or a border to some artistes, and Sukhwinder is such an artiste. It’s always triggered by boundless energy.”

AR Rahman won an Oscar and a Grammy award for “Jai Ho”.