Sonu Nigam: Live music a litmus test

Sonu Nigam

With his soulful renditions in Laal Singh Chaddha behind him, Sonu Nigam's latest Bollywood offering has him head behind the mic for the energetic title track of Shehzada. At a time when reality television shows are thrusting singers into Bollywood in abundance, Nigam still finds himself enjoying a certain command over an array of genres. "It's all hard work," he says, addressing questions on the gamut of songs he has been appointed for, of late. "One must take care of the voice, and focus on the work at hand. I train as smartly as possible, and continue to work hard towards the craft."

With 2023 marking his 46th year as a performing artiste, Nigam attributes the attention that he has paid to live gigs for his success as a singer. "Live music is the litmus test for a singer. Only when one sings live can the audience know if he can or cannot sing. Your fitness as a singer, and the training that you have done, is made evident on stage."

Admitting that if he turned to Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan to learn the tropes of singing when he was 18, today, he looks toward the younger lot, including Arijit Singh and Armaan Mallik, as well. "When the student dies, the master dies. This approach has led me to where I am today. No one is luckier than I am, because I have enjoyed such a long journey - from Acha sila in 1995, to Shehzada, today."

His most cherished live rendition, however, dates back to 2008, when he paid tribute to Mohammed Rafi. "I was already [an established singer] at the time, and I was singing songs of my guru, with the Symphony orchestra. In a span of two hours, I sang 21 songs of his. I made 75 foreigners adapt to the Indian style of music to create that concert. It will always be a memorable one."

Meanwhile, Nigam also trained his attention to devotional numbers and recently released his versions of the Hanuman Chalisa, and the Mahamrityunjay Mantra. It is owing to his mother's love for devotional numbers that he says he took on the endeavour. "My mom used to [chant them]. She was a spiritual woman, and I did it for her. As far as I am concerned, I consider myself a Muslim, Christian, Jew, and Hindu. I am simply a resident of this planet."

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