He has been in the industry for almost two decades and has recorded multiple songs. Though it might seem that his playback outings are now few and far between, musician Kailash Kher refutes the perception, saying, “My playback outings haven’t gone down. From Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati and Marathi to Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam — I record for at least four films across languages every month. But yes, I make sure that the tracks should have the energy and quality that I can relate to.”

Speaking of the quality of music in the current times, ask the Teri Deewani singer what he feels about the current crop of singers in India and he shares, “Every artiste is different and I love the current lot of musicians in our country. They have made a mark on the basis of the taste of the audience of today, which is great. But I think it is imperative for all artistes to understand the value of good words. There are some songs that barely have any gayaki. They are made entirely with the help of technology and the lyrics are utterly distasteful. But a beautiful change that has come about is that the monopoly of yesteryear singers doesn’t exist anymore, as there are thousands of artistes out there.”

On his 49th birthday today, the Padma Shri recipient doesn’t have a conventional plan to celebrate. “I believe in giving back to society on my birthday rather than throwing a huge party. So, I organize a langar at a gurdwara next to my studio in Mumbai every year,” says Kher, adding that he also contributes towards his area of worship — music.

“For the last five years, I’ve celebrated my birthdays by launching new musicians. I spot talented artistes from across the country and launch them with an event called Nayii Udaan. I mentor them, help them hone their skills as singers and performers, and then launch them,” Kher ends.