Sonu Nigam with his youthful good looks, impeccable manners, unerring courtesy and modest bearing has become India's surrogate son through hosting the popular television programme sa re ga ma. And yet this wasn't his aim when he travelled from Delhi to Mumbai. All he wanted was a break in the arena of playback singing. He spoke to Lata Khubchandani. Though you've been around for some time, it's only now that you'regetting acknowledged as a singer.
Why is that?
I sometimes wish I'd come in now because this is the right time for any singer to make an entry. Music companies are willing to spend so much today to launch new artistes. I came in, in late 1991 and I've struggled quite a lot to find my feet.
Who would you say has been your greatest benefactor?
Gulshan Kumar and the television programme Sa re ga ma. Though
Gulshanji and myself were from Delhi, I never knew him there. I tried to contact him in Mumbai but had no means to get through to him. Then Usha Khanna introduced me to Amar-Utpal and they got me to sing for the dummy of Aaja meri jaan which was Kishan Kumar's film. Gulshan Kumar happened to hear this and I was asked to sing one more number. On the October 16, 1992 I sang my very first song O assmanwale zameen par utar ke dekh. When Gulshan Kumar heard this he asked to meet me.
He was astounded that I was only 18 years old. He seemed to take to me and my career as a singer started off, if not too forcefully, at least well enough for me to move my family from Delhi to Mumbai. But I was not really ``happening'' at that time.
Then in October 1994 we were invited for a playback singer's Antakshri on Zee TV. On this show Purnima and I defeated all the other singers. That's when Gajendra Singh noticed me and proposed that I do Close Up Antakshri. I wasn't too keen. So he thought of this new concept Sargam which eventually became TVS Sa re ga ma. The first episode was aired on May 1, 1995. Initially people found it too slow but it grew to become one of the biggest shows on television.
What has Sa re ga ma done for you?
Sa re ga ma gave me the recognition of a star. It allowed me to
present myself as I am, not as I would have been if I was a Veejay or anchoring any other show where I would've had to put on a different style. But here I could talk about whatever I liked, philosophy or music and I could do it in my own language which is Hindi.
Who have you trained with?
I trained in Delhi for two months from my ustad, Mohammad Tahir sa'ab but we left Delhi soon after. So for the most part I haven't really trained. I must admit that I've started learning from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan sa'ab only after Sa re ga ma happened.
>BR>
You've done a lot of version singing -- are you happy doing that? Don't you think it harms the original singer?
I haven't done any version singing for the last two and a half years. And I won't do it again. Earlier on I had no option but to sing versions because there wasn't much work being offered to me. I must admit though that it was great net practice for me to analyse the singing of great singers like Rafi sa'ab and Manna Dey, Mukesh and others. I had to do a complete study of their voices and their technique and it taught me a lot.
What is your place in the music world today?
I feel I'm not part of the traffic at all. I've never been formally acknowledged for Sa re ga ma often I've not been nominated for my playback singing and neither have my pop albums been nominated for any award -- I've never been given credit for being the youngest male singer to have sung thousands of songs. Neither has my album Deewana been nominated for being the highest selling album in India -- it has surpassed the record of `Made in India'. Just now we had the Zee sangeet awards and I was not nominated. That's why I feel I don't really exist in this traffic of singers in the industry. I'm doing a very good job otherwise in the music industry making albums. But I
don't seem to be in the league of singers.
You refused to attend the Zee TV awards earlier this year?
Yes, because I was announced as the winner for sandese aate hain but my co-singer Roop Kumar Rathod was not even mentioned. How can half a song be given an award. I don't understand how awards committees function.
How did you sustain yourself when the going wasn't so good?
I haven't been without work for the last seven years. If I haven't been doing playback singing. I've been doing lots of versions -- lots of bhajans, `bhentain', qawwalis, even `naads' I was recording as many as twelve songs a day. In fact, now I do just one song a day. I've sung even 35 songs on one day and I used to boast about it. Life was good then, it's good now too. The difference is that I can now afford some of the things I'd always yearned for. Like I always wanted a Casio keyboard but couldn't afford it. Now I buy as many keyboards as I feel like.
What made you anchor The Red Ribbon show on Star Plus?
Actually that wasn't a full fledged programme. It was meant to be a curtain raiser for the programme on AIDS awareness held in Mumbai on the December 7, 1999. I was interested in doing it because the concept appealed to me and it was only for 14 weeks. I enjoyed it because I got to interview Amitabh Bachchan who has been my idol since childhood.
Are you happier with your singing career today?
Yes indeed. I've sung in practically every language from Oriya to
Sindhi. This year, I've been out of India for almost five months so you'll hear a little less of me next year but I'll make up for it now that I'm back. I've gained popularity in the last two years starting with Aur pyar ho gaya, this was followed by Border, Pardes, Daud, Dil se, Dulhe Raja, Soldier, Sunghursh, Vaastav, Jab pyar kisise hota hai, Mast, and now Badal and Mela which have already become very popular. I enjoy working with all the composers and respect them all. Sa Re Ga Ma Musical programme compered by the charming Sonu Nigam, Sa Re Ga Ma has
been ver popular among the entire cross section of viewers.
A bonanza for music lovers and a platform for aspiring singers to fulfil their dream to become playback singers. At the end of the competition the best male and female singers are selected every week.
