Bollywood playback singer Shilpa Rao was in Calcutta on February 10 to perform at the JW Marriott Kolkata Ballroom, in association with t2. She enthralled us with some of her hits such as Besharam rang, Ghungroo and more. She’s recently broken some box-office records with her number from the SRK blockbuster Pathaan. Despite raising some eyebrows, this track became an instant chartbuster, scoring record likes within five minutes of its release. The singer engaged in conversation with The Telegraph before the concert, where she spoke about her journey, her love for ghazals and her current playlist. Excerpts:
Congratulations on the success of Besharam rang. Despite all the controversy, it’s still one of the most streamed songs online and it’s broken records. How do you feel about so much love being showered on your song?
Shilpa:(Smiles) Thank you so much! Love to everyone who has given me and shown me so much love and appreciation. I feel everyone should be focused on what they do and their purpose with it. I don’t think it is important to listen to everything that everyone says. Having your own drive and following that is very essential, one must focus on that. Success is not something we have in control because it is mostly because once you finish a song, it goes to the audience and how they like the song. It is not under our control at all. But yes, while we make songs, that process is definitely in our control so we should definitely have fun, try to experiment and try out new things and that is very important. But the key ingredient is to have fun because after having worked for a couple of years, you forget that this was actually your passion and having some fun out of it is something you cannot lose in the process. When you’re in a recording studio having a great day, doing your job more passionately and enjoying every bit of it is more important. That is something under our control (smiles).
You’re trained in Indian classical music and now you’re one of the topmost playback singers in Bollywood. How do you feel the training has helped you?
Shilpa: Anything that anyone sings can easily be identified as a raga or taal, of course…. Anything that anyone sings on the planet follows the grammar of Indian classical music. So whatever I have learned I have always put that into my singing, be it correct throw of voice, correct pronunciation, having clarity of thought, or trying to sound effortless — I think all of this is because of my Indian classical training background.
What’s your favourite raga and why?
Shilpa: (Goes all wide-eyed) There are a plethora of ragas going with different moods. I have so many moods so it’s very difficult to choose one… ummm… Yaman I guess is one of the most beautiful ragas I’ve ever heard, then there’s Shuddha Sarang I really like. Madhuvanti raga, Kedar raga and Behag raga are some of my other favourites (smiles). They’re really beautiful.
Who do you draw your inspiration from?
Shilpa: There are many people, my parents to start with, because they’ve been my pillars of support and strength as they kept urging me to get better and work harder. Mehdi Hassan saab is one artiste I really listen to and admire. I try to imbibe his vocal strengths as a singer. He is somebody I really really follow.
From when you were say 14, singing in the bathroom like any other ordinary teenager, to now when you’re so successful... how would you define your journey?
Shilpa: I actually didn’t want to become a singer while growing up. I did not want to do anything or have goals and aspirations as such (laughs). So, what happens is, when you’re 14 there’s a certain view of the world that you have because of what you’ve been told and conditioned to believe; there’s a lingering definition of success always looming above. But once you start progressing, you will come to a point in life where you’ll actually understand everything is about your perception — you might feel happy about getting one break, but once you finally achieve it, maybe it’ll not be enough. Maybe you’ll win an award and feel it’s enough, but the truth is that the answer you’re seeking amidst your aspirations is not what you project... this is what I’ve learnt in life. There’s always more to success, more to explore and excavate, is my takeaway from everything in life. Once you’re happy and content with yourself on a daily basis, the rest will fall in place and will happen by virtue of what you do. If you love what you’re doing, your childhood aspirations won’t matter to you anymore. When you’re 14 or younger there’ll be so many thoughts but once you actually get there, maybe that’s not the answer. So, be content with yourself first! I don’t have many thoughts (laughs) to be honest. But I have a lot of gratitude for people listening to me and expressing themselves one-onone on social media. It feels nice to touch people’s lives without really meeting them. I really loved how people caught the mood and tone of Besharam rang, because music is basically about expressing yourself unapologetically and my audience got that right! The audience’s reaction is a big win for Vishal and Sheykhar, Siddharth Anand especially because it was his vision, and Kumaar as he wrote the song. That is something we are really very proud of. We gave the song to someone and the person expressing themselves without apology is a true success! It feels good that you’re affecting someone’s life and I’m grateful for such connections.
‘Shilpa Rao Live. Groove in Besharam Rang’ in association with t2 at JW Marriott Kolkata was a lit evening. Picture courtesy: The organiser
Name four artists you’re listening to and enjoying the most currently.
Shilpa: Mehdi saab is always on my playlist. His songs like Ranjish hi sahi, Gulon mein rang bhare, Aaye kuch abr kuch sharab aaye are some of my faves. I love listening to Rashid Khan saab. I really admire him and he’s like an institution to all singing icons….. (thinks aloud)… I like Daft Punk but was really heartbroken that they parted ways. Zero 7 (English music duo by Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker) is one of my current favourites as they’re making really interesting and fun music. I love adhunik Bengali songs because there’s so much expression and emotion in them. I love Haimanti Sukla’s songs as well, it’s something I learnt as a kid. The best part about music is, one can have their own interpretation and like anything — the universal language of love.
Tell us a little about what you plan on exploring in the field of music…
Shilpa: There’s a lot to do. I learnt ghazal singing and that’s my taleem, so I want to explore that. Even film music, I want to experiment and explore.