The heartthrob with a voice of silk is quite a loner in his personal life. His latest offering Jaan is a runaway success even before it's hit the shelves. But isn't that only expected, after the unprecedented success of Deewana?
Today, Sonu Nigam has become the top-notch artiste on the Indipop scene, with only Daler Mehndi for competition. And that's a lot for a singer who had to give it a long fight to get where he is. This Delhi boy who gave up everything to try his luck in playback singing in Mumbai started at seventeen. At 26, he is bearing the fruit of his tribulation.
Music seems to be pathological. Though Sonu is not formally trained in music, he grew up in the shadow of his father Agam Kumar Nigam, a renowned singer. Sonu's life in Mumbai was difficult until he met the late Gulshan Kumar who liked the youngster's charm and perseverance, and got him started on a career singing cover versions.
This was a good start for the fledgling singer. He settled down in Mumbai and called his family over to live with him. Then came Zee TV and the boom of music shows, where Sonu was invited to the popular Antakshari. The producer Gajendra Singh, saw promise and potential in Sonu, and invited him to host the programme. Sonu refused to do a programme that was already so popular and thus was born Sa Re Ga Ma. Initially no money-spinner, it is now one of the biggest hits for the channel. And Sonu Nigam is a household name. He accepts all the adulation with a slight cynicism, which stems from the realisation that stardom is transient.
Sonu is not one to be swept away by the glory of it all. He's quite a loner in his personal life, preferring to spend time at home, rather than attending parties and mahurats. Recently, Sonu has started training under Ustad Mustafa Khan. "I'm meeting so many talented youngsters through my programme that I realise that I have competition, and had better gear up to meet it," But Nigam's talent is innate. He's a fabulous mimic as well and has people in splits doing celebrity take-offs.
Jaan, released by Tseries Super Cassettes, has been composed by Nikhil Vinay and has lyrics by Faiz Anwar. The numbers are soft, romantic and passionate. The whole feel of the album is romantic.
Sonu Nigam worked with Nikhil Vinay earlier when he sang the popular Achcha sila diya tune mere pyar ka, one of his first chartbusters. The number was not an original; it was a version of Ataullah Khan. Sonu is hot property now. And he's just loving the smell of success.
