Meet actor, talent show judge and play back singer Sonu Nigam, who will be in town to wow Bangalore fans with his kannada renditions
Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam loves singing Kannada songs compared to Hindi ones. He will be performing live once again for the Bangalore crowd after a gap of two years on October 11 at Palace Grounds.
Here's what Sonu had to say when MiD DAY asked him about his life, his love for Kannada music and his acting career.
What's special about your attachment to Kannada films? Any new albums or movies in the pipeline?
I enjoy singing in Kannada a lot more than in Hindi. They make such good music, it satisfies my soul. I definitely want to cut more private albums in music be it in Hindi, English or Kannada, merely because I believe private albums give you an outlet to express your kind of music.
There are criticisms from some quarters about 'outsiders' singing Kannada songs. They say that knowing the language is also important for singing. What is your stand?
How does knowing the language help if you don't know how to express yourself with it? I drown myself in a song when I sing it. I kill myself. I don't know if I am singing Hindi, Tamil, English, Kannada or Marathi. I enact and express with every line I sing. If I don't know the language, there are people around me to explain what the words mean. I know nothing else at that time. I only know I am doing music. And that God is showing through my voice.
Recently you'd alleged that music directors keep good tunes for themselves. Is this true? Is that a problem for many singers too?
Even a little child will tell you that most of the songs today, the good ones I mean, are sung by the composers themselves.
They have all the right to do the best for themselves. Concerts are the main source of income and they know that unless they don't sing their own songs, they won't get concerts.
As much as they have the right to do that, I have the right to prevent damage to my repute by singing trash. So I try my best to be selective in whatever I get. I don't claim that I am infallible, but I am sure people who understand music, appreciate my endeavour and sincerity.
How difficult was it for you to reach the number one slot? Any particular memory that you cherish? May be during one of your shows or any particular performance that you can't seem to forget?
When I was struggling, taking long walks instead of going by bus or rickshaw to save money, lonely nights without my family, indifferent and rude secretaries of the music directors, doing household chores from cleaning to washing to cooking all by myself...most of all, the uncertainty of the future, is what I remember of the past.
It feels good though. Everything that I've got and am getting now, all this feels like an unending bonus coming my way.
Whom do you consider as your Godfather, if there is any?
God is my father.
You've become an icon of sorts for talent hunt. What do you feel about the innumerable talent hunt shows on channels these days?
There is competition now and I like it that way. I would get too complacent otherwise. I remember as a kid, since I was the topper of my school, I would work extra hard right before my exams. Urgency and competition brings out the best in me. Complacence bores me.
You are now concentrating on western symphonies. Any particular reason for this interest?
I don't plan anything. I just go with the flow. I feel we are all in a journey that starts and ends at the same point, thus there is no point getting too exasperated for Rafi Resurrected. I collaborated with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and then something else lead to my setting second base in Los Angeles, all without any efforts of mine. I'll continue doing my best and let life take its own course.
You will be performing in Bangalore after two years. What are your expectations?
Yes, I am performing after a gap of two years in Bangalore and I have huge expectations.
Can you tell us your experience in Bangalore the last time you performed here?
It was good and it is great to perform in front of the Bangalore crowd.
Do you have any plans of acting?
Yes, I'm still getting offers after my five-year sabbatical. Most of them have more faith in me than I have in myself. They all know I was the first to bell the cat without knowing the marketing tools required to pull off a hit. The others merely learnt from my experience.
All this goes on to prove that when you are good, your talent comes to stand by you, even if the box office doesn't. If I find a project worthy of my sincerity and hard work, I'll take it up. If not, I am in no need.
What: Sonu Nigam Live
When: October 11
Where: Palace Grounds
Tickets: Rs 550, 1,100 and 2,200
Log on to: http://www.livetree.in/
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