The ROAD Ahead

How do you look at the paradigm changes since you began singing in 1999?
No era has seen such major changes in music as this last decade,but I would say that the sound has changed more than the composition. Very few compositions are really path-breaking. Music directors now really work on the production,so the sound is better than ever before. But public tastes differ and people still love the music of the 90s and earlier eras for the qualities those songs had.

That may be because there is no distinctive style today. You can confuse todays music directors songs with each other. Is this a good thing?
I agree that this similarity is not a very good thing,but there are songs that have the distinct stamp of a composer. And great arrangements can make an average composition different. Also,earlier producers and directors would accept composers as they were. Today,oddly enough,a filmmaker who wants the Jatin-Lalit style of music will go sign Vishal-Shekhar and ask them to give it! And that cannot really work. There is always a certain risk in going beyond a core strength. For example,Jatin-Lalit may not be able to give a really good hip-hop song despite their talent.

Earlier,someone on his decline would still get some work. Today,once-frontline artistes just go off the radar.

True,but their fans and admirers remain. Kumar Sanuji is an example of this,so are all the seniors. Its just that far less newcomers were coming in earlier.

But the arrival of a new singer,composer,lyricist or even filmmaker and star used to be an event once every few years. Now there are hordes of them every year,even within a single film.
Yes,new talents,different or otherwise,are made welcome unlike before. There is so much competition that everyone is after that one opportunity.

Hasnt this led to so much mediocrity,especially in music? Time was when Sonu Niigaam raved about you when Mast was due,and Sanjay Leela Bhansali specially promoted Shreya Ghoshal before Devdas.
I think that when a singer has some special quality there is bound to be a lot of buzz. In this era of a craze for new voices,the industry is bound to pounce on any exceptional talent. That this has not happened since Shreyas arrival is self-explanatory,though some singers are promising.

Do you see great promise in anyone today?
I would single out the Indian Idol finalist Rakesh Maini. He has a unique voice,his expression is fantastic and he will in time develop the gaayaki aspect too. It is my firm belief that gaana sirf gaayaki nahin hota,the first and foremost need is that one should sing dil se and be strong in expression.

Indian Idol must have given you a great sense of having reached somewhere,because Anu Malik,one of your earliest mentors,and you are co-judges.
I dont look at it that way. For me,being a judge was about helping out new singers in whichever way I could. I have refused several reality shows before,but took up Indian Idol for a mad reason 8211; it was its fifth season and my lucky number is also five! Anujis presence was an attraction too. He is one composer who gave me my earliest hits,Mehboob mere in Fiza,and the title-song and Tu sirf mera mehboob in Ajnabee,and someone for whom I have been singing constantly,right till his forthcoming film Hissss. He has seen me literally grow as singer from A to E and beyond.

But as a newcomer,you had to listen to him. Now you can differ from his views on an equal footing.
That freedom to differ would have come with any other judge. What was great was that this time there were no work pressures as when I was learning and recording a song. I used to really look forward to Tuesday when we had to shoot like a holiday!

how does it feel to have reached and lasted at the top?
I have felt great at every step,but believe me when I say that I still feel its just the beginning. I dont say Ab aur aage jaana hai because that can mean going ahead at any cost. Instead,I plan where to go. And my plans and goals change due to natural reasons. I may have told you something specific three years ago that does not matter anymore.

You have always been a live show diva. But not every great singer sings well live. Why?
Singing live is a gift given by God only to select people and I am really ecstatic that I am one of them. There are singers whose recordings move you to tears who simply dont create an impact live and the reverse happens too. I truly feel blessed. Its like being genetically gifted with great hair,a beautiful face and so on.

Is there any dream project now?
Yes,I will shortly be doing a Bengali Rabindra Sangeet album and I am really thrilled about it. I have sung in Bengali before,but this is special.

And why is that?
On August 7 this year,I performed live in Kolkata at a concert named Panchkanya with senior singers,three of whom were Bengalis. But I got the maximum applause and people said that I looked and sang just like a Bengali. For me,it was a first to wear a saree instead of my normal outfits and sing while seated on the floor to a very quiet audience ! Now I want to record such music.

What made you take up this show in the first place?
I turned it down at first,because I did not want to be below-par at something that was not my forte. But I was given a CD of the songs and fell in love with them! They were simple compositions and those are actually the most difficult to sing. The response was phenomenal. This was one new route for me towards newer audiences. I want to touch different categories in music. I am now planning to learn classical music seriously 8211; at one time,I began doing so and attended exactly two classes!

Does it scare you that with the shelf-life of singers decreasing,you will have to later sing songs filmed on older actresses?
If you grow and reinvent with time,why should this happen prematurely? After Lata Mangeshkarji sang for six generations of heroines,Alka Yagnikji showed incredible staying- power for 25 years,so its not as if all singers fade out quickly. Yes,as you ironically mature and your voice becomes truly kamal ki,it no longer suits the hot young stars. If I cross 50,I cant hope to sing for a young heroine. Latajis different,no one can be like her!