Singer Shreya Ghoshal interview on music trends
| Video Credit:
The Hindu
Maestro Ilaiyaaraja’s first film recording was full of drama. Way back in 1976, even as the composer assembled his musical team to record the first song of his debut Tamil film ‘Annakili’, the power went off.
Shreya Ghoshal’s first film recording, too, was nothing short of crazy. She had no clue that her debut song (‘Bairi Piya’ in Devdas) was being recorded. “It was a blessing in disguise,” she recalls, “He (director Sanjay Leela Bhansali) had heard me on TV and some albums, and picked me to sing for his film. I was just testing out the microphone by singing the song, and it was recorded. That became the first and final take.”
Singer Shreya Ghoshal
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B
Shreya Ghoshal has come a long way since. Two decades and five National Awards later, her chartbusters have gone on to rule the playlists of many listeners in India and abroad. At Chennai on March 1, she will present — as part of her current All Hearts Tour — some of those numbers.
The Bollywood hits will be there, surely, but Shreya will also explore some of her memorable Tamil tracks. “I have a special connection with Chennai; this concert will be an ode to the city and the many amazing musical collaborations I’ve had here.”
She is referring to her frequent songs with leading Tamil composers like Ilaiyaraaja, AR Rahman, Imman, Anirudh and GV Prakash, to name a few. “Ilaiyaaraja sir is one in a million, who can compose a beautiful song within 10 minutes. And AR Rahman… whatever he composes is divine. It’s like he has a direct WiFi connection with the Almighty.” She adds, “In the Tamil industry and the entire South industry, it’s not enough if a composer makes great songs. He is also working on the whole background score. That does not exist in Hindi now; an album sometimes has different composers and genres, so much that it becomes a mixed bag of singles. There was once a golden time of Hindi film music, but Tamil film music continues to have depth even today. They appreciate singers who are skilled, not just singers who vibe,” says Shreya, who is well known for Tamil tracks ‘Munbe Vaa’, ‘Unna Vida’ and ‘Kandaangi’, among others.
Shreya Ghoshal
The language barrier
Shreya is as much loved in the South as in the North, because of her ability to almost sing like a native speaker. How did she manage to crack the language barrier and master difficult regional languages, despite being more comfortable in Bengali and Hindi? “Karthik Raja gave me my first break in Tamil (‘Chellame Chellam’ from 2002 film, Album). He prepared me for this journey. As there is so much richness and depth in the music and lyrics, I realised that it was important to express the words properly. If I didn’t do that, it would be great injustice to the makers of the song. I took it very seriously, and I’m fortunate that the teams I have worked with supported me. Delivering Malayalam songs is very tough. I have broken into sweat trying to sing them… but as time went, I got a hang of it.”
The other aspect she concentrates on is to get a sense of where her song is placed in the film she sings in. For the ‘Mere Dholnaa’ track in Bhool Bulaiyaa, she sang a line in a certain way because “the character in the film was hallucinating during that sequence”. Elaborating, she says, “I have heard stories of how legends like Rafi saab were so involved; he sounded different for each actor he sang. I aspire to be like them, because that was the best time of music. For me, it is always important to ask a little narration of what the situation, who the actress is, what her character is going through. A little understanding of her position in the film, and what is the effect of the song for the storytelling… all these things matter when you’re singing for films.”
With the changing musical landscape, where singles and independent songs are competing with film songs for popularity, the traditional concept of a ‘playback singer’ has changed, she believes. “Times are changing rapidly. Young listeners today want to know what a singer represents and what story he or she wishes to say through music. I always believe that a composer sings his song best. But when a certain song needs skilful singing, you need good singers. Even if AI is involved, emotions cannot be recreated. That abandon in a certain phrase in ‘Mere Dolna’ that you mentioned about, for instance, is the result of a natural urge of a singer. AI cannot do that.”
Shreya Ghoshal will be performing at her ‘All Hearts Tour’ live concert in Chennai on March 1 at YMCA Grounds, Nandanam. Tickets are available on District by Zomato.
Shreya Ghoshal with Divya Abhishek, Chairperson of FLO Chennai, and pianist Anil Srinivasan
A happy song
For over 400 members of FICCI FLO Chennai, Wednesday evening was a memorable musical outing, as they got to listen to Shreya Ghoshal delivering a few phrases from some of her memorable hits. In conversation with popular pianist Anil Srinivasan, Shreya recounted some special memories, even as she egged on the audience to sing along with her. “I grew up in a remote village in Rajasthan, before moving to Kota. It was filled with scientists and academicians – my father was a scientist – but there was a person teaching music there as well,” she said, recalling her initial tryst with music.
Apart from delivering a couple of Hindi and Tamil hits and playing a bit of ‘guess the song’ with the women in the audience, Shreya mentioned that she does not take any specific measures to keep her voice in shape. “Sometimes, I have even demanded a pani puri just before a concert,” joked the five-time National Award-winning singer, “I believe that the secret is to always be happy. When the heart is happy, you do your best.”
Published – February 20, 2025 05:55 pm IST
