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Queen of melodies
Shreya Ghosal does not need an introduction to the lovers of Indian music. But few are aware that she is twice-blessed, as one who has won a string of awards and as one who has sung in most of the Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, which even Usha Uthup has confessed to not having done till date. She is blessed with one of the most melodious voices in Indian music. She has a brain to match and is beautiful too. What gives you the biggest high — the music
director, the film, the banner, the lyrics or the total composition? My biggest high is being inside the four walls of a recording studio, which transplants me into a different world. I can write a song, go on the mike, just wait for the musicians and technicians to show up, everything that goes on in a recording studio. I come alive as if touched by a magic wand. Did you ever have to reject a particular offer? I never needed to choose a company, or, an assignment, or, a banner because I have got the best offers one could dream of. I never had the chance to reject an offer. Even when I began my career in professional music, the best offers were there, lined up and waiting. The same applies to the musical chemistry one needs for any song — the lyricist, the music composer, the orchestra and the singer must be in total sync and there too, I have always been lucky. Singers in India now also have to be performing artistes with a high glamour quotient. How do you jell with this? I fit into it quite well. I am a young woman, who loves to dress up for every occasion. I like to look good and work on my face before going for a recording or a live performance. It is part of my persona. But I do not agree with glamour for glamour’s sake. Glamour must not be at the cost of the quality of music. Music should come first and everything should come after that. I think glamour is necessary because the visibility factor is important for every musician today. It helps create your brand and gives you an identity. Your fans look up to you as a personality, an icon and not just a singer. They need a point of identification. You cannot and should not disappoint them, can you? What about children in reality shows spiced up with too much glamour? I entered through a children’s reality show myself. But it was different at the time. I disagree with the glamour quotient put on overdrive just to push up the demand or the sales of a particular kind of music. I also do not know why adults are tampering with the innocence of children by spicing them up with an overdose of glamour when they cannot even understand what is happening to them! It is difficult for a child to understand which is more important — singing well or dressing well or just being a child. It is easier for a person at 18 or 19 to understand why one must look good for a show. The right things must happen at the right time. How do you look at film music vis-à-vis independent, non-film music, and Hindi films vis-à-vis
regional music? A lot of innovations are taking place in regional music, both filmy and non-filmy. The quality of non-film music has a character of its own because it does not face the kind of commercial pressures film music does. Even film music in regional languages has more space for experimentation and exploration which Hindi film music cannot afford to do. Hindi film music is a different ball game altogether. The music composer is answerable to too many people and the lyricist must keep all this in mind. I recently cut a Bengali solo album for the Durga Pooja after nearly nine years. This made me realise how beautiful non-film, independent music can be. It was like going back to my roots, the realisation of a long-cherished dream because Bengali is my mother tongue. From your long career in films, which films would you choose as your favourites? I made my debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, which brought
me my first National Award. I love looking back on “Jadu hai nasha hai” from Jism. “Agar tum mil jao” from Zeher is a favourite too. Parineeta’s “Piyu bole”, Guru’s “Barson re megha”, the songs in Jab We Met are other unforgettable numbers. Where do you see yourself five years from now? Doing more films, doing more independent, non-film albums, and getting into entrepreneurship in the field of music. Shreya Ghosal
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Shreya Ghosal, who has sung in many Indian languages, talks about
how music gives her the biggest high
