Living life in the public eye is not easy, something that singer Sonu Nigam took cognisance of very early on when he decided to send his son Neevan out of India.

“My son became a sensation in 2012 itself,” notes Nigam hinting at the time when a four-year-old Nevaan captured hearts of many when he recorded his own version of Dhanush’s popular track Kolaveri Di.

The singer further adds, “But if you make a big deal out of it then that is the problem. If I wanted to show my child around in every party and if I wanted my son to come out with new songs, then he would have been pressurized. As parents, we didn’t want to ruin and taint his childhood. I wanted him to have a normal childhood with friends; one where he doesn’t have to go for appearances, shoots and parties.”

Nigam, 48, says that was why he and his wife Madhurima decided to send him to Dubai to live and study there. “I wanted him to study and live in a country outside of India, which is not too far. Initially, we were planning to move to USA in 2009 as me and my wife are green card holders and my son is a USA citizen. But commuting from Los Angeles to Mumbai is very difficult. So I decided to give up the idea of living in LA. Dubai is closer to Mumbai,” he shares.

While he shuttles between his two homes, he is happy to have given a normal childhood to his son.

“We made sure to give him a normal childhood. Now his friends are Brazilians, Germans… something that I never got to experience in my childhood,” he concludes.