Singer Sonu Nigam has had an illustrious career in the Hindi music industry. He was among the most sought after singers in the 90s and early naughts and remains influential in the fraternity. But he reached this position after a fair share of struggle. In a new interview, Sonu shared how during the initial years, he faced rejection. He recalled calling Anu Malik and the music composer telling him that he was not at home. While speaking to Ranveer Allahbadia on his podcast, Sonu said that every person has to work hard to reach the zenith of success. At one point in life, the singer used to leave the house in the morning on his two-wheeler and call people from a phone booth, asking for work. Recalling one such call with Anu Malik, Sonu shared, "Anu ji naatak karte the. He would pretend that he is Abu (his younger brother). He would say, 'Anu ji nahi hain, main unka chota bhai Abu bol raha hun'. I knew it was him only, but one should wait for your time'." The singer also recalled his first audition at the age of 18. He shared, "I went to Usha Khanna's audition in 1991. I was probably 18. She called me to a recording at Sargam Studio. I saw Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu coming and singing there. They asked me to sit. But I kept standing. I kept standing for 7 hours. I thought what if the door opens and they see that I am sitting.no, I kept standing because I thought that would leave a good impression." By the end of the day, Sonu finally got a chance to showcase his talent and was called inside to sing. "When the studio was about to be shut, someone said, 'Oh ye ladka khada hua hai subah se, isko mike lagao' (This guy has been standing here since morning, put a mike on him) Then I started singing, 'Tanhayi'. Everyone was stunned. They realised that the boy standing there could sing. If I would have left thinking, 'What is this? why am I standing here?', I would have never gotten work," shared the singer. Sonu Nigam became a household name as the host of ZEE TV show Sa Re Ga Ma in the early 1990s. Soon after, his career as a singer in movies and as a pop sensation took off. He has also been conferred with the National Film Award for Best Playback Singer (Male) for the title track of Kal Ho Naa Ho.
