He will soon return to television — from where he began his musical journey — after a gap of five years, but before that Sonu Nigam will be in Dubai to perform another epic event almost after two years on Friday, November 18.
The four-hour Sonu Nigam Live In Concert 2016 will see the singer performing not just his own hits but all-time beloved songs from Bollywood by legendary singers with an ensemble of 50 artists on stage.
The Indian National Award winner has not only sung in several Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Tulu but also collaborated with international hit makers including Britney Spears, Avicii, and Kylie Minogue.
While moving between cities for Indian Idol shoots, Nigam spoke exclusively to Gulf News tabloid! about the show, his return to television and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
You’ve set a standard with every one of your performances in Dubai. What can we expect this time?
Of course with every show the challenge increases and I can’t claim that it’s been easy for us. We’ve been working hard for [this show] for the last couple of weeks and in fact, I return to Mumbai tomorrow [Tuesday] to rehearse with my entire team, even though it would have been easier to fly to Dubai straight from Kolkata.
In 2013 when we last spoke you had said you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career. But we’ve only seen you busier. Has that goal now moved?
Actually there is never a pinnacle in anything in life, you just need to draw a line somewhere — whether it’s career or your fulfilment. I have completely left the Sonu who existed ten years ago behind. I’m a much more positive, happier person now. I was never satisfied when I was younger. I don’t do [sing as much in films] these days but I love doing my concerts, my independent music and, the songs I sing in films [now] I really have to love them. So overall, the happiness quotient has really increased and that’s what I call the pinnacle of my life.
You’ve just returned to television again after a long gap with Indian Idol. Firstly, do we expect anything different in this edition of the show? Secondly, coming back to TV after so long — how does that feel?
If I try to do something different just to create an effect on Indian Idol, then it’ll seem pretentious. Of course, I’m a changed person from what I was in 2004 when we started Indian Idol. That Sonu is dead. Obviously the perspective is more evolved and the temperament has changed in the last 10 years when I left Indian Idol. So the experience has changed and I’m hoping people who are so used to melodrama in the way the judges behave on television, [will instead see] the earnestness that I believe in giving to the audience, and will accept and appreciate it.
It feels great to be back on television. I try to keep myself slightly preserved and not overdo or overexpose myself. The last time I did TV was five years ago with X-Factor. You know, all the music shows in the country, the first door they knock on is mine — and I say this with all humility.
You’ve sung for so many people and even modulated your voice to suit them. Plus you are a trained classical singer. With the kind of music we hear today, some of it’s fun, yes, but most is meaningless. What do you think people prefer to sing — or hear — these days?
I’m not a really a great classical singer because I haven’t learnt classical to that extent. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to learn music when I was a kid. I learnt from Mohammad Tahirji for about six-seven months before coming to Mumbai at the age of 18 and then I went to Ustad Ghulam Mustafa sahab for a year in 1996. But I practise a lot. In fact when you called and said there was music in the background, that was actually my tanpura [an Indian musical instrument] playing and I was practising during my entire flight. I practise mainly to keep my voice in its best shape, because people expect so much and you cannot let them down.
Having said that, I don’t look down upon the music today, it’s just that the business has changed. Earlier songs were made for melody, today, songs are made as tools to promote a film and that is why you have songs that are either extremely romantic, ballad-like or you’d have a ‘vodka’, daru [alcohol] or a DJ song. And once in a while you’d have these pseudo-Sufi — I call them that because most of them just have ‘Ali’ and ‘maula’ in the lyrics and call themselves Sufi — because Sufi is not music but a state of mind.
But yes, the music is good, singers are good, composers are good and I’m not the kind of person who would look down upon the current generation and glorify the past.
We see remixes/revivals happening every day. In the initial stages of your career you had sung a lot of songs for a recording company. Are there any from that which you would wish to revive?
With age you grasp your craft better. I know after certain time I will lose the perfection [in my voice] — everyone has to succumb to age. But at this point, yes, my voice is at its peak and if I have to revisit my earlier songs — which I’d love to — I’ll do a better job, I know.
You got into an online spat with Karan Johar over a dialogue about the legendary singer Mohammad Rafi in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil that was meant to create humour but became offensive at a certain level. In a country that allows freedom of speech, do you think dialogue should be curbed or at least be presented in a way that’s not offensive?
Of course I believe in freedom of speech and in humour, but sometimes one must know that by [blindly] following other countries you cannot justify certain mishaps. What I’m trying to say is India is country that follows the guru-shishya parampara [teacher-student tradition] and hence there’s a lot of respect for one’s teachers and seniors. People in other countries don’t touch their parents’ feet [in respect], so you can’t paint everyone with the same brush. And some people like [singers] Lata Mangeshkarji, Rafi Sahab, Kishore Kumarji, Mukeshji, Talat Mehmood … they are all icons and shouldn’t be touched. Also because [someone] like my kid is not aware of the glory of Rafi sahab and if he sees the film — which he hasn’t as yet — he will remember Rafi sahab from this statement that Rafi was someone “jo gaate kam the aur rote zyada the” [who sang less and whined or cried more]. If they said “Rafi sahab wohi na jinke gaane bade rone wale hote the” [Rafi was one who sang a lot of songs that made you cry], that would have been ok. But what do you mean by “gaate kam the”? When you say this you are actually telling the younger generation that he was a lesser singer and more a whiner. According to me [as an artist] you have some responsibilities. You could have said the same thing in a funny way and that could have been a joke.
If you can crack a similar joke for your own parents, then it wouldn’t be my place to say anything. But I’m sure if the same thing was spoken about Yash Joharji or Yash Chopraji, Karan Johar will be the first person to retaliate because I know he’s a good man. My only intent was to tell him [Rafi] was a great singer and [even though he is dead] his family and students like me actually do not appreciate a statement like “Rafi gaate kam the aur rote zyada the”.
At the same time, if you have freedom of speech, we have just as much right to give our opinion too. If you say something that is offensive to someone, you can’t take offence if the person replies to you, right?
Recently after the terrorist attacks in Uri, Kashmir, India and Pakistan fell into a political conflict, where one political body asked all Pakistani artists to leave India. You’ve worked closely with many of them, how do you feel about it?
Everyone has their own views and I don’t wish to be part of this.
With your knowledge, experience, talent and skill we expected you to turn composer a long time ago. Do we see a full-fledged credit for you as a music director in a Bollywood production in the near future?
My friend and partner, Bickram Ghosh, who is one of the finest percussionist in the world, and I did music together for a movie called Jal, which got shortlisted for Oscars in 2014. I can compose but it’s a time-consuming process. We have only one life, how can one do so many things? If at all I’m convinced a film is really good then I’ll compose for it. But it’s not for me at this point.
Don’t miss it
Sonu Nigam Live In Concert 2016 will be held at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on Friday, November 18, at 9pm. For tickets and more information call Oberoi Middle East Events on 055-6360333.
