Music has been an inseparable part of Sonu Nigam’s life. The singer, who turns 50 today, has spent 45 years out of these performing on stage. Ask about his greatest learnings and he says, “I’ve realised that you have to always keep your head bowed down to the universe. I’ve also realized that I can never take credit for anything I have achieved. It’s only my good fortune that I’ve enjoyed a glorious career for the last 45 years.”

When he started out as a musician, did he think he’d become an established artiste with a National Film Award and Padma Shri to his credit? “God has given me much more than I imagined or envisaged,” says Nigam, adding, “I came to Mumbai to become a singer. But, little did I know there would come a time when they’d be selling my posters all over India!”

With decades of experience, Nigam has seen the Indian music industry evolve — from the ups and downs in the independent music space to the changing sound of film music. Is there a phase that stands out for him? “I have seen a lot of transitions in music and the business of music, but I don’t believe in glorifying a particular time or group of artistes or undermining the younger lot. Every decade has had its ups and downs. I feel being regressive hampers one’s growth,” says the singer, who rang in his 50th birthday in the presence of his family and friends.

Usually, most people have a birthday ritual they look forward to every year. Ask if he has one and the singer shares, “When we were kids, we never had the affluence to make birthdays a grand affair like a lot of other kids. The only ritual was to sit with my parents and sisters and listen to snippets from the memories from our childhood.”