T he mix of songs that make up this year’s line-up (‘Raanjha Raanjha’, ‘Urvasi Urvasi’, ‘Aise Na Dekho’, ‘Mann Chandre’, ‘Tu Hai’ and ‘Enna Sonna’) is very interesting. Could you explain the selection process?
It’s very instinctive. You have these wonderful artistes and you have a band that’s from KM Conservatory. The effort is to give a new take to these songs. Everyone wanted us to recreate ‘Urvasi Urvasi’ and I was excited. I called Suresh Peters and he was like ‘What are we going to do’ and I said, ‘We’re going to sing’ (laughs). Other songs like ‘Raanjha Raanjha’ were chosen because a shorter version of it was used in the film.
So if you feel a song didn’t reach the desired audience, would you be tempted to include it on such a platform?
Yes. The song ‘Mann Chandre’, for instance, is a Punjabi song from the album Connections . I felt it hadn’t reached enough people so we re-wrote the lyrics in Hindi to really get it out there.
There’s the feel of the studio and then there’s the feel of the stage. How would you describe the feeling of playing at MTV Unplugged ?
The show has a near 30-year legacy, and back in the 90s, I didn’t feel I had the credentials to perform at Unplugged . But now, with a great band supporting me, it’s become a pleasure to be here.
Is it a relaxing experience?
The team makes it enjoyable and relaxing, but it does get very stressful, simply because of the unrealistic expectations that people have. It’s also stressful because at times, we get ready with the final mix just an hour before the show ( laughs ).
Talking about reinterpreting your own songs, how often do you get the chance to be 100 per cent satisfied with the product you send out?
I try to finish a song within the limited time, but I make sure I’m satisfied with the final song. It’s my bread and butter, so I wait until I’m absolutely sure.
So when you listen to an old song of yours, don’t you feel like you could have changed a thing or two?
Not for songs. But I do feel so for BGMs. I feel I could have changed the orchestration or broken a certain pattern. I’ve tried to do more of this in the past seven years, ever since I started working more in Hollywood. Just the speed of how music is used in the background has changed so much.
Lastly, when you put in so much effort into a song, do you feel that a majority of the effects are lost because of the devices people consume music on?
Of course, there’s a lot lost when you’re listening to a song on a phone… for instance, you can’t get the bass. But I’m a believer of being melody-driven and it’s the songs that work, no matter where or how you’re listening to it.
