Showing posts with label Kunal Ganjawala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kunal Ganjawala. Show all posts
Everyone is trying to be the next Arijit Singh-Shaan
8:28 AM
Singer Shaan rues the lack of originality in the music industry
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 30, 2022)
Shaan, who has been in the music industry for over two decades, applauds the surge of new talent in the industry while simultaneously lamenting how originality is being lost. Even in an era when the music industry is swamped with new voices, he says, “there are hardly any artistes who have quick recall value”.
“It is not the fault of the new singers,” says the Tanha Dil and Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya, 2007) hitmaker, adding, “There is tremendous pressure, especially on boys. Everyone is trying to be the next (singer) Arijit Singh and [in the process] failing to find their own identity.”
He believes that even in the ’80s and ’90s, this problem persisted. The 49-year-old recalls, “Everyone had to sound like (singers) Kishore Kumar or Mohammed Rafi at the time. That pressure was present even when (singer) Sonu (Nigam) entered. But when (singers) Kunal (Ganjawala), KK, and I started in the industry, there was no pressure to sound like someone else.”
Sadly, he believes that the same trend has returned: “Abhi ghoom firr ke wapas aa gaya hai. Everyone is looking for a voice like Arijit’s. As a result, everyone is starting to sound the same.”
He goes on to say that because of this, the kinds of songs being produced has taken on a monotonous tone.
“Before they start writing their own songs, people look at what’s working. Itne gaane hain iss chakkar mein bewafayi pe. What’s new about that?” says the singer, who claims that he is not required to do so and that he enjoys experimenting with his music. His latest, Rang Le, for example, is a Sufi rock single. “I try to find some or the other genre, for people as well as for myself,” he ends.
Vivek Oberoi, Salim-Sulaiman, Vishal Dadlani, Shaan etc to perform for CPAA’s free online musical concert on June 7
5:37 PM
Eminent singers like Salim-Sulaiman, Vishal Dadlani, Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala, Benny Dayal, Shadab Faridi, Neha Bhasin, Jonita Gandhi, Shilpa Rao, Aditi Singh, Bhoomi Trivedi, Anusha Mani, Mamta Sharma, Rasika Sekhar, Akriti Kakar etc and actors like Vivek Oberoi are all set to perform at a free-online concert named “Yes To Life… No To Tobacco”. It will be held on June 7 from 8 pm onwards, to create awareness and support cancer patients battling in the wake of COVID-19 on the occasion of World No Tobacco Week organized by Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) & World Health Organisation (WHO). The concert will be free for all to watch on TIKTOK India’s official handle.
The proceedings received from the concert will be used for underprivileged patients who travelled to Mumbai for their cancer treatment but got stranded due to the Coronavirus lockdown. CPAA has been providing them with monthly ration supplies, guiding them with the shelter facilities along with hygiene kits consisting of masks, sanitizers among others.
The concert will be free for all to watch on TikTok India’s official handle and guarantees 150 minutes of non-stop fun and entertainment.
Anita Peter, executive director of CPAA, says, “World No Tobacco Day 2020 will seek to educate policy-makers and the general public with regard to the tobacco industry’s harmful tactics and to alert smokers and potential smokers on the most important preventable cause of death and disease in youngsters. CPAA is proud to be working in the field of cancer for the last 50 years whereby we have helped more than 3000 oral & Lung cancer patients annually. During this pandemic, tobacco users have high risk of Coronavirus as smoking weakens their lungs.”
Cancer Patients Aid Association is a registered, charitable organization working towards Total Management of Cancer Patients and Awareness to Rehabilitation, since the last 51 years. CPAA assists poor patients by giving them free medical aid, food supplements, prosthesis, transport services besides counseling the patients, offering rehabilitation facilities and tobacco control being one of the major activity of the organization. CPAA have been commemorating World No Tobacco initiative since 2003 with the support of WHO for better awareness on health impact of tobacco control and reinforcement of effective laws.
Bollywood is flashy, the South is more real-Kunal Ganjawala
8:37 AM
Singer Kunal Ganjawalla talks about Tu Hi Toh Hai from Holiday and carving a long career despite having a `non playback' voice
Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; May 30, 2014)
It has been over 12 years
since you made your entry into Bollywood music with Ab Ke Baras. Tell us
about your journey since then. Did you have to struggle because of your
unusual voice?
Ab ke Baras was not really the film that gave me a break though it did create a stir within the industry and I thank Anu Malik for that opportunity. I got my first big break in four songs for Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai, thanks to Rajat Barjatya, composer Sandesh Shandilya and lyricist Mehboob sahab. Saathiya released before it and my song Oh Humdum Suniyo Re became a chart-topper thanks AR Rahman's composition and the legendary Gulzar sahab's lyrics. I didn't sound like any of the legendary voices we had in Hindi films till then. I had a voice and style of my own and that seemed to work against me when I got into the industry. I didn't have a traditional playback voice, some said, when I auditioned and it was difficult for me to understand why I needed to sound like someone else to be successful.
Ab ke Baras was not really the film that gave me a break though it did create a stir within the industry and I thank Anu Malik for that opportunity. I got my first big break in four songs for Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai, thanks to Rajat Barjatya, composer Sandesh Shandilya and lyricist Mehboob sahab. Saathiya released before it and my song Oh Humdum Suniyo Re became a chart-topper thanks AR Rahman's composition and the legendary Gulzar sahab's lyrics. I didn't sound like any of the legendary voices we had in Hindi films till then. I had a voice and style of my own and that seemed to work against me when I got into the industry. I didn't have a traditional playback voice, some said, when I auditioned and it was difficult for me to understand why I needed to sound like someone else to be successful.
Who were your strongest supporters?
My strongest supporters were my parents who encouraged me to sing at a time when satellite television hadn't come to India. Playback singer Poornima (Sushma Shrestha) is another. She heard me at a college festival and then introduced me to Anand Milind, Leslie Lewis, Louis Banks and Anu Malik. Malik and Mukesh Bhatt gave me Bheegey Hont Tere (Murder). Music director Rajat Dholakia is another person who has supported me throughout my career. Pritam has made two versions of Tu Hi Toh Hai (Holiday — A Soldier Is Never Off Duty), one with you and the promo version with Benny Dayal.
Interestingly, both of you sound a lot like each other. Was that deliberate?
I am surprised you say that because both of us are very different stylistically. I sang the television promo version and the theatrical version of Tu Hi Toh Hai. Knowing Pritam, he may have wanted to see how Benny would interpret the same song and would've liked what he heard and therefore kept both the versions on the soundtrack so that the listener may hear two completely different versions of the same melody.
You've sung many soundtrack highlights. Do composers specifically offer you these songs or do you look out for them?
I always sing from my heart. I know no other way. Personally, I love singing ballads and songs in the soul, funk and rock pop genres. My music director friends often tell me they compose especially for me as opposed to making me sing a generic song.
What's it like to be married to another singer?
Life is beautiful anyway. It gets even better when you are married to a like-minded person and your partner is from the same profession. I feel blessed that my wife (Gayatri Iyer) is a singer.
You consider Ranjit Barot your mentor. How did that happen?
Ranjit is largely responsible for who I am today. Poornima didi - who is also his cousin - introduced us. Ranjit had heard my voice on TV and radio. Once he endorsed my singing, the whole industry started to work with me. He has been a life-changer for me and I will always be indebted to him for that.
We now meet a couple of times a year over lunch and dinner and lots of good music, of course, besides work whenever the opportunity arises. With him around, I believe I can sing anything required of me.
That is the kind of confidence he instils in the people he puts his faith in. As Rahman says that every composer should get a Mani Ratman like he did, I'd say, every budding singer should get a Ranjit Barot!
You've sung for a variety of films down South. How different is the music industry there vis-à-vis Bollywood?
Bollywood is flashy, the South is more real, down to earth and disciplined.
A number of singers are turning music directors today. Would you consider composing filmi soundtracks?
It's a natural progression for a singer to become a lyricist and composer. Look at the West where almost everybody sings their own compositions unlike our industry where all the three are separate.
Your song Channa Ve is still played at weddings. What do you think of the Indipop scene right now?
It's a great time for the Indipop and non-film music scene with the variety of talent we have today. Unfortunately, there aren't any independent record labels pumping money into private albums. I hope the revenue model sees the light of day soon. Fingers crossed!
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