Ankit Tiwari talks Bollywood ahead of his Abu Dhabi concert

Bollywood singer and composer Ankit Tiwari may have a younger career than most of his contemporaries in the film industry, but his playlist of hit tracks has garnered him a number of awards over the years, including a Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for ‘Sunn Raha Hai’ for ‘Aashiqui 2’.

Gulf News tabloid! chats with the talented artist ahead of his November 1 concert at Yas Mega Mela, du Arena, Yas Island.

What can we expect from your concert in Abu Dhabi and how do you prepare for something so big?

The visitors at Yas Mega Mela will experience an amazing musical night. A lot of hard work goes in to preparing for a performance, my team and I have conducted multiple rehearsal sessions for this show.

How has your journey been in the Bollywood music scene and how difficult was it to crack the big league?

I think so far my journey has been outstanding, and it’s certainly not over yet. However, as nothing is easy in life, I did struggle during the early days of my career but it was not that hectic; I enjoyed that phase as well.

Which has been the most challenging song and composition of your career?

According to me every song has a different journey. It takes a lot of effort to create a song and it’s not any less than a challenge. If I had to pick one, I would say ‘Sunn Raha Hai’ (‘Aashqui 2’) was a little more challenging for me as it was my debut song in Bollywood.

‘Sunn Raha Hai’ put you on the music map. Did you expect it to be such a big hit? How did the iconic chart topper happen?

The song became a big hit because the audience loved it and felt the song. They connected with the music and the lyrics of the song. I was pretty confident about my singing and composition.

Do you ever question the lyrics of the songs that you are offered?

Not really.

If you could analyse your own hits, which song is your favourite and which song would you want to re-do again?

As I said, every song has its own journey and each song that I have sung is like my baby, I don’t think I could pick any particular one as my favourite. I always like to create fresh and new music.

What’s your current song — not necessarily sung by you — that’s playing in your head on a loop?

Currently, I have so many songs running in my head and mostly it is my new composition. You will get to hear these very soon.

What’s your idea of a perfect song and what do you think are your biggest strengths as a singer?

According to me there isn’t anything like a perfect song. Everyone has a different taste when it comes to music and like a particular genre. I think that when the audience feels the song and can relate to the lyrics, they start liking it and that’s what makes it a good song.

What is your advice to all the aspiring musicians out there?

Never give up, miracles do happen.

Who’s the music composer that you work with beautifully?

I share a good bond with everyone from the music industry and most of them are now really good friends.

If you were to choose a song for the following occasions from your repertoire of hits or otherwise, what would it be…

- First date – ‘Teri Galliyan’ (‘Ek Villain’).

- First wedding dance – ‘Ishq Mubarak’

- For your funeral - I haven’t ever thought about it.

Don’t miss it!

Ankit Tiwari performs on November 1 at the Yas Mega Mela, which runs from October 31 to November 2 at du Arena, Yas Island. The event runs from 4-11pm on day one; from 2-11pm on the day two and from 2-10pm on day three. Tickets start at Dh20. VIP tickets are priced at Dh75. Kids under the age of 16 go free. Tickets are on sale now Yasmegamela.ae