Bam Bam Bhole, a track from Salman Khan’s upcoming film Sikandar, isn’t Dev Negi’s first attempt at a festive song. Having previously successfully rendered a Holi track in Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017), Negi was familiar with the tricks that he’d need to employ to evoke the emotions synonymous with the festive spirit.

“Usually, it is the nature of the song and its lyrics that dictate how it should be rendered. Since Badri had a rustic and desi vibe, we had to render the song to suit that scenario. For this film, [composer Pritam] told me to think about the attitude that Salman has, and the way he performs. We dubbed the track in different ways and using different expressions, and he zeroed in on one of the four selections,” says Negi, who has previously worked with Pritam in Chhichhore (2019), and Tubelight (2017).

Negi also rendered Zohra Jabeen, which he describes as Khan’s “entry song.” “Because it has Urdu lyrics, I knew that [we’d benefit] by using a qawwali tone,” he says of the number that puts Salman and Rashmika Mandana’s chemistry on display. A R Murugadoss’s Sikandar releases on March 28 and features an ensemble cast including Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, Sharman Joshi, and Prateik Babbar.

Negi has previously sung for two Salman Khan films, including Kick (2014) and Tubelight (2017). He had written the Kumaoni lyrics (language used by resident of the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand) in Tubelight’s Naach Meri Jaan. It marked the first time that the Kumaoni language was used in a mainstream Hindi film song.

It’s not uncommon to see songs garnering 100 or 200 million online views within hours of release these days. And while some may genuinely earn such traction, it cannot be denied that the culture of paid views exists, too. An instance was witnessed recently, when the Mumbai Crime Branch filed a chargesheet against singer-rapper Badshah for allegedly paying Rs. 74 lakh to get 72 lakh views for a video.

Wondering for how long this practice has been prevalent, we speak to various musicians from the fraternity. Singer-composer Arko Pravo Mukherjee says, “This was not a surprise. This norm is not really prevalent in the West. When big artistes like Rihanna or Bruno Mars release a song, they never have such views in one day, it grows slowly.”

Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya says this is not just corruption, but “terrorism” in music. “Yeh kya ho raha hai? Jo cheez bina talent mil jaati hai na, uss cheez ko aap respect nahin karte ho. We are lucky hum uss samay nikle hain ki humne jo create kiya, woh aaj hai aur chalega. Badshah jaise log aayenge aur hum ko bada baadshah bana denge,” he says.

Some musicians, however, are not aware of this practice of buying views. Singer Amit Mishra of Bulleya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil; 2016) fame, says, “I was completely unaware. I just knew about the boost we can do on social media. I believe in my music growing organically. I am a fan of Badshah and collaborated with him in the past. I practise my vocals every day… audience ko gumraah karne wali baat alag ho jaati hai.”

Singer Dev Negi, known for rendering Sweetheart (Kedarnath; 2018) and the Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017) title track echoes the same sentiment: “I focus on my song, kaam milna chahiye.”

Mukherjee, in fact, reveals that artistes in the West have sued YouTube for allowing such malpractices. “A few artistes started this in the last few years, because they wanted to have a false image. Artistes sued YouTube, rightfully claiming that if fraud happens, how would artistes be actually judged. It is wrong to them who are not buying views,” he shares.

How did the two songs happen?
I had done Har Kisi Ko (Boss) for Akshay (Kumar) sir and he liked it. He asked me some more of my music. I gave him a bunch of songs and Teri Meri Kahaani happened to be one of them. Krish (director of Gabbar) also knew me because of my South connection. He came over and saw the song fit for the film. He then took the song to Shabina Khan and then Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir heard it. So, it was a unanimous decision. The brief was that in one song, they had to show the entire love story between Akshay sir and Kareena Kapoor Khan, how they meet and fall in love and get married. The song had to lyrically express that nostalgia. Lyricist Manoj Yadav is an old friend. He wrote 'Teri meri kahaani, baarishon ka paani, banke jo ishq barse, teri meri kahaani'. His is a different way of looking at things. That brought life to the song. Manoj is quick with words. We do road trips to come up with songs. Sitting within the studio, you are looking at the same environment so there isn't room for anything new. If we get the freedom, we would take a road trip to London to write music. The song was originally conceived in 2012. I was working on 1920: Evil Returns and had come up with this song. Arijit Singh had come to sing a scratch for me. After Duaa (Shanghai), I was a fan of his voice. He was gracious enough to sing the scratch as well. We were looking for a female voice. I had worked with Palak Muchhal on Zanjeer and we really liked her vibe. She's very easy going and a person who grasps ideas quickly. Her voice was approved in one go. We wrote Coffee Peetey Peetey walking in the lanes of Lokhandwala in Andheri, Mumbai. He was singing the words to the tune, and I was taking the notes down on my phone. The song happened chalte chalte. Dev Negi who sang it is one singer who's going to make a name for himself. He's extremely talented and hard-working. Also, he's from the hills which is my favourite place. We tried a number of voices for the female singer. We tried a number of voices, but Paroma Das Gupta's was one voice that everybody liked because she brought freshness. It has a bright, happy quality. She comes from an ad background so she's very quick with understanding the vibe.

You've earlier recreated Har Kisi Ko Nahin Milta from 1986 film Jaanbaaz. What's your take on this trend of doing covers of old songs?
When it comes to doing covers, it's a good way of introducing old music to the new generation in a format that they understand. On hearing the cover, some people might listen to the original and that might just introduce them to the composers of that era. Provided the covers are done tastefully and they don't degrade the original.

What kind of music do you want to compose in future?
I would like to do the kind of music you hear in Farhan Akhtar's films. The songs have a western bent which is actually my forte. Till now, I haven't got an opportunity to do that - to do jazz, rock n roll, flamenco or songs that have a Romanian-gypsy vibe to them. I would like to compose more songs that are essentially Indian.

What's keeping you busy?
I am doing a film down South for Krish. It's a period film which requires a background in Carnatic music. He tried me out and asked me to come up with something.

How important is social media for musicians?
I am almost always on social media. I have one window on my computer open at all times while working too. It gives you a one-on-one interact with audiences. Now, a lot of people can reach out to you with their music, like singers or lyricists. I met Amit Mishra, who sang for me in 1920: Evil Returns after hearing him online.