The Original Lyrics Of Chikni Chameli Had Gone Overboard, Reveals Shreya Ghoshal

With 4 National Film Awards and 6 Filmfare Awards, Shreya Ghoshal has proven that she is one of the best singers in the industry. And 15 years after she first started her career, Shreya now picks and chooses her work carefully and wants to steer clear of innuendo-laden songs. In a freewheeling chat with SpotboyE.com, Shreya talks about her latest single, creating independent music, actors turning singers and a lot more. Excerpts: 

Tells us about your single Dhadkane Azad Hain?
This is a very exciting phase of my life and people are constantly asking me why it took me 15 years to realise that I should do independent music. For a long time now I have been following the routine but as an artiste, you always limit yourself to the script. There was always a thirst in me to go beyond. The song was with me for seven years. I wanted to give it to my fans directly without the backing of a label or a film. Composer Deepak Pandit and Manoj Muntashir have done a fabulous job.


Shreya Goshal New Single Dhadkane Azad Hai

How long did it take you to complete the single?
As I said, I had the song with me for seven years but after I started working actively on it, I took me a couple of months.



Have you become more selective about your work now?
Subconsciously yes. As in, I don’t overwork, I am not running around studios recording many songs a day. At this point, I wish to do something different and exciting, which would contribute to my growth as an artiste. This sometimes does not happen with films as the songs tend to be repetitive. Every song sounds similar with the same kind of sur, combination of instruments. These days I ask for the song before they come to me and I look forward to something mazedaar. That doesn’t happen often. 

What are your parameters now for choosing a song?
I first look for a melody. If it’s a different melody, I see to it that I add my own colour to it. Secondly, I have become a little conscious about the lyrics of the track.



Have you ever gone to the recording studio and got the lyrics changed?
I only have objections if the song is turning out to be suggestive or if I am not comfortable with the thought portrayed. Also, one should be able to enjoy the song with our families. Chikni Chameli was one song where the lyrics had to be changed but that happened before I pointed it out. The producers and everyone in the team thought that the song was going overboard.

A number of old songs are being recreated. What’s your take on the trend?
I think it’s just a phase that we are going through and I hope that it passes away very quickly. Rehashing an old song is fine as great songs need to be rediscovered through a new voice and sounds. But the dignity of the song should be maintained, because we need to understand that these songs worked because they were that amazing. But, I also feel the need for original music.


Singer Shreya Goshal

The shelf-life of songs is getting shorter. Why do you think that’s happening?
I think there’s too much content available. Everyday there is a competition about who gets the most number of views. There is this constant battle between songs and unfortunately it is not about making a good song, it’s more about numbers and views. Also somewhere there is a lack of faith in the artistes, which needs to change.

Long ago, in an interview, Aadesh Shrivastava had said that the concept of playback singing will cease to exist post the generation of Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, KK and Shaan. What do you think about his statement?
Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on and I can’t comment on that. But it all depends on what movies and songs we make. Only if we intend to make good movies, will we get good songs which will be sung by talented artistes. Right now, most of the songs don’t need a trained singer. It’s all about the texture of the voice and the rest is taken care of. This approach really does not help in breeding good artistes. The system needs to change and we need to follow the organic way of making music rather than picking up bits and pieces.



Many female singers sound like you now. How do you feel about that?
That’s fine as long as we are making good music. I have always given my heartfelt encouragement to new artistes. At times, if I hear a song and if I have access to the artiste, I pickup my phone and make it a point to appreciate him/ her. Sunidhi and I have done that quite a few times. I am fine with people taking inspiration from me as long as eventually they find their own voice.

Who according to you sounds the closest to you?
I know my voice the most so I don’t think I can really answer that (laughs).



The trend has shifted towards actors singing a song and the publicity of the film riding on that one track. Does that bother you?
That has happened with me just once, which was Samjhawan from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. I understand that people do it for promotion. It doesn’t hamper me. Maybe it’s only to get the cash registers ringing. But when someone thinks of the song, the first names to crop up would be Shreya and Arijit. Like the producer, director and the actors, the audience too is aware of the fact that Alia rendered her vocals for the promotion of the film.

Why don’t we have complete albums these days like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil?
Pritam was the music composer for the entire album. It is very important to have a common sound to an album. Picking up songs from different people might help that particular track but not an album. This is where the shelf-life of the album goes for a toss. 


Image Source: shreyagoshal & hq