Asha forever

Singing legend Asha Bhonsle celebrated her 75th birthday in great style by releasing a new album, Precious Platinum.

In her 75th year, the songstress is going as strong as ever

Singing legend Asha Bhonsle celebrated her 75th birthday in great style by releasing a new album, Precious Platinum. The new album is a collection of songs composed and arranged by composer Nitin Ramesh Shankar. Bhonsle said that in an age obsessed with rhythm, she wanted to cut an album that was different. “People can’t sing item songs when they just want to sing to themselves or to others. There should be some songs which, for instance, a lady sitting at home can just sing, so I told Nitin Shankar to make an album with songs like that,” she said.

The video of one of the tracks from the album, Tum Jo Mile, was also screened for the audience. Regarding the shooting of the video, which is set amidst waterfalls on the Western Ghats, Bhonsle joked, “I was standing on a precipice and I was afraid that it would be my last song. We shot for three days in rainy and windy weather and at the end of it, I fell ill.” The diminutive diva, who’s been singing since she was 16, is the world’s most recorded artist. She’s also the only Indian artist to be nominated twice for the Grammy awards.

Age has dealt lightly with Bhonsle as was evident when she entered the venue, and held court with the grace and élan that comes from years of being the reigning queen of Indian airwaves. She was in a reminiscent mood as she talked about her long association with the music industry. “I have been singing for 65 years. Now you sing happy birthday to me.”

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