Journalism of Courage
When Aashiqui 2 released earlier this year,Arijit Singhs lilting voice struck a chord in the hearts of many and Tum hi ho became the love ballad of the year. While Singh was catapulted to stardom,YouTube exploded with covers of the song. Some were good attempts by amateurs,others drowned in mediocrity. In this mix,one version stood out: three boys and a girl in their early 20s,in an aesthetically-shot video. The acoustic cover of the song was tweeted and re-tweeted,shared and liked. With almost 15 lakh views on YouTube,Sanam Puri and Jonita Gandhi (on vocals),Samar Puri (on the guitar) and Aakash Gandhi (on the keyboard) have become YouTube stars.
One of them is now on the verge of tasting commercial success. Sanam,an attractive 24-year-old Delhi boy with a deep,emotive voice has scored a hit in clubs across the country with Dhat tere ki from the Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer Gori Tere Pyar Mein! From being the online poster boy of heartbreak music (covers of Tum hi ho and Talaashs Jeeley zaraa) to singing a fun,dance number for the Karan Johar film,Sanams versatility has caught the attention of some of Bollywoods movers and shakers. I am working on another song with Vishal-Shekhar,and one with Himesh Reshammiya. Recently,another music director approached me, says Sanam,over the phone from Mumbai,where he now lives.
After years of uploading his songs on the web,Sanam has finally found his way to Bollywood through YouTube. To be noticed and picked up from a crowded talent pool online,he says,is something he still cant get over. In fact,even before the Tum hi ho cover was posted online,Sanam began recording Dhat tere ki. Last year,Samar and I were looking for a new manager for our band called The SQS Project,and we met Ben Thomas who also manages music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar. Ben heard our original composition,Teri aankhon se,and loved it. He made Vishal listen to it and in February this year,I got Dhat tere ki, says Sanam. Vishal complimented my voice texture, he adds.
While recording the song at Vishal-Shekhars studio in Mumbai,Sanam met Jonita,who had already lent her voice to the title track of Chennai Express. I have my own YouTube channel,so when I met Sanam,he told me he wanted to collaborate. I made Sanam and Samar meet Aakash and Tum hi ho happened, says Jonita,who is trained in western classical music and sings opera too. The two voices blended so well in the cover that composer Clinton Cerejo worked on a song,Pinjra,specifically keeping their voices in mind for his Coke Studio@MTV episode this year.
Apart from working on a few Bollywood projects and gigging in Mumbai,Sanam is working on some covers with Jonita,and his band. But the plan is to garner attention for their original compositions. Even though we add our own twist to the songs,we do not want to do covers. We do them to get subscribers and fans,who in turn will listen to our original compositions, says Sanam. The only good thing about doing covers,he admits,is the fan following.
It was in Delhi that Sanam first thought of music as a career. At his alma mater,St Columbas,he is still remembered as the boy with the beautiful voice. The SQS Project,too found wings here,but the Puri brothers found the Delhi audience unwilling to give original Hindi compositions a chance. We want to enter mainstream Bollywood. Thats what sells, says Sanam,talking about his shift to Mumbai a few years ago.
Interestingly,for someone who is elated to be a part of Bollywood’s music scene,Sanam only listens to background scores of a few odd movies and the soundtrack of video games. Nobu Uematsu is a Japanese musician who makes music for video games such as Final Fantasy. Thats what I love,I dont like listening to vocals. There is something about voices that irritates me. I am not egoistic,I just feel that I may not be original if I do, says Sanam.
