Show me the voice

Not really,I did a reality show a few years back called

Super Singers that aired on Channel V. But,this is the first time that I am judging wannabe singers.

What are you looking out for in these young singers?

I am looking for a voice that moves and inspires me. Apart from basics,that include the ability to sing well,I am looking good sense of melody and rhythm,I will also look for how well-trained they are and whether they have any traditional background. We the judges want them to sing modern stuff but they should have the ability to sing traditional songs too. I think it is absolutely necessary for the participants to know where they are coming from and to be in touch with their roots. And of course,the voice and quality of expression matter. There is emphasis on the presentation too.

Who are the other mentors?

There are Javed Ali,Kailash Kher and myself. We will be in charge of the three groups respectively. We havent as yet decided the names of the groups as we are still in the process of coming up with cool names for the three groups. The three mentors are expected to try our level best to spend as much time with the participants to groom them.

Is it a pressure coaching amateur singers?

I would not say that its a tough job. Instead it is a blessed job to coach and judge these little wonders. Your eyes open up to the kind of talent to which one is exposed. But,the tough part is when you have to tell a not-so-bright child that singing is not his cup of tea. I just find it extremely difficult to say that. Yes,for some judges it is about saying No and moving on,but thats not the case with me. I think these kids are too delicate,so,I go round and round in circles just trying to tell them that they will not make it past the auditions.

Does your sensitive streak towards the young kids root from the fact that you too went through the grind as a child?

Yes,I am very sensitive to the fact that they are kids and since I have also been a child artiste,I know what it feels like to be rejected. It is heart-breaking. I put myself in their shoes and try to be as understanding as possible when I have to reject a child. But it is my duty to tell them that they are not fit to join the race before they start chasing the wrong dream.

What do you think of the participants? Are they naïve or very focussed?

I would not say they are naïve. These kids are very focussed about what they want. They are far more aware of their surroundings than we were when we were kids and they have so much more access to information. But the basic innocence of a child will remain and that makes the experience of judging them beautiful.

Are there any challenge you faced while judging the kids?

The ones who are good at what they do and are truly talented are focussed but their parents at times end up being too competitive. That sense of competitiveness sometimes puts pressure onto the kids and thats not right. The kids might not necessarily share the same sense of competitiveness of the parents. The kids love to sing and most of them just do not care about whether they are Number One or not. But then you have the parents who constantly keep telling them that they cant come second in the race and the constant pressure does not allow them to breathe. Parents bog their kids down with too much competition. There have been several instances on the show when it is more about the parents than the child. The child would have taken failure in his stride but the parents seem unconvinced.

Have you ever gone through that kind of pressure as a kid?

No. My late dad was a tremendous source of inspiration for me. He used to encourage me with a lot of care and love. Today I am a musician and when I look at my son I understand the stress a parent goes through wanting their child to excel. I look at my son through two sides; as a musician and as a father. But I have somewhere down the line made it clear to him that when he comes to me for criticism of his music,he should not expect the father in me to speak. Because if it is the father then anything the child does is going to be brilliant! But if he wants the musician in me to evaluate him then he should be ready for some criticism. But,as a dad and a musician I have never forced him into a particular genre. I want him to breathe and want him to have his space and creativity

Do you think that the participants have to go through a lot of stress preparing for the auditions?

First,the kids should feel fortunate that there are many opportunities to be heard today. During my time,when I was a kid,it was a trial and error method I used to go knocking at doors and saying Hey,its me. Listen to me. And I hoped that somebody was generous enough to listen. Over here there is a proper method in which the kids audition in front of the viewers,so if an executive of a record label is having a bad day and he does not want to listen to your music it still doesnt matter. The public is listening to you and if they like your voice,you get your big break. What somebody else thinks of you does not matter.

But,what about the long practice sessions before the auditions?

I dont think that it is unfair for the participants to rehearse so much. We used to spend 10 hours a day rehearsing. If you have the passion and you are committed then you have to practice and it doesnt matter whether you doing that in the privacy of your home or in front of lights and camera. It is the same. There is no substitute for hard work. These kids are fortunate that 70 per cent of their work is done and that they have such a great platform. We used to practice without any guarantee that we are going to be superstars. Here you know that even if you get rejected you get rejected it in front of billions of people and at least they have an opportunity to give it their best shot. I have known people who have spent such a long time practicing but never got an opportunity to come before the world and say This is my work. They were so brilliant yet they went unnoticed and passed away as unsung heroes. So these kids are very fortunate.

When will we get to hear another of your compositions?

Very soon. I am about to release a new album in next couple of months. I am releasing it with Yash Raj Music.