Music has undergone a sea change in the last decade and with audio processors like autotune available at the tip of your finger, almost anyone can sound good. And that is what singer Daler Mehndi is apprehensive about, as he believes it (the use of autotune) is “going overboard”.

Singer Armaan Malik had tweeted about lip-sync being a common practice at live shows, with singers preferring to “vibe” and not sing live, while the song plays in the background. “Gurdas Maan (singer) ji live gaate hain, main live gaata hoon aur mera chhota bhai, Mika (Singh; singer), bhi live gaata hai. Other singers like Sonu Nigam and Shaan also sing live. I feel only those who cannot sing live do lip-syncing,” says Mehndi.

The 55-year-old adds that the issue of lip-syncing has been a matter of discussion for a long time. “This topic has been going on for the last 15 years now. Koi nayi baat toh abhi ho nahin rahi hai. I am sure some federation will raise this issue [in the coming days],” says the Garda (Atrangi Re; 2021) singer.

Ask him about the kind of changes that are the need of the hour as far as Hindi film music industry is concerned and the Dardi Rab Rab Kardi (1996) singer shares, “Main kuch badal toh nahin sakta. But I feel every song has a soul [which technology drains out]. Ab toh aisi technology aa gayi hai ki aap hello bolo mic pe aur pura gaana aapki awaaz mein record kar denge. I feel this is very dangerous and it affects the music scene at large.”