When you hear his voice on the phone, it definitely doesn’t feel like it’s been eight years since he first mesmerised the country with his mellifluous singing on Indian Idol . Abhijeet Sawant has come a long way since and is now in the news for the release of his third studio album Farida . Launched by Kailash Kher and Akbhar Sami earlier this month, the artiste is still reeling from all the support he’s been receiving from the music as well as the film fraternity.
At the very outset Abhijeet feels the need to clear the air. He quips: “The name has nothing to do with a girl. Farida in the title refers to the great Sufi saint Baba Farid. He was a 12th-century Sufi preacher and saint of the Chishti Order of South Asia.”
“ Farida is an extremely special album to me as it is a result of two years of hard work. Though it is largely based on Sufism, it is the kind of album that would appeal to people of all age groups. Most of the songs on the album are by old time Sufi fakirs and they reflect their thoughts.”
“The lead track of the album, ‘Aao More Piya’ is a melodic offering, while the title track ‘Farida’, a Sufi Kalam written by the famous Baba Farid, is a track that is really soulful. They are both love songs. Each of the seven songs on this album has a distinct sound.”
Ask him how different this offering is from his previous ones and he responds: “This is a new and evolved me both in terms of lyrics and sound. This is the first time I’ve touched upon modern Sufi as well as rock and even soul elements on the same record.”
Stating that his inspirations from the industry are Shankar Mahadevan and Sonu Niggam, Abhijeet says: “I’ve learnt so much over the past eight years of being in the industry. I had no big connections and I had to start out on my own but having a stage as huge as Indian Idol has always been a blessing to me. Back then I was immature but now I’m more confident and I’ve come to realise that is a major factor for anyone who wants to make it big in a field like this.”
Since his rise to fame as a singer, offers to anchor shows, playback singing, and act in films have poured in. “I have loved and enjoyed everything I’ve put my hand to. Even acting in Lottery and Tees Maar Khan was fun but for now I’m back to my first love- music.”
About his next album he says, “I can’t really promise because for now I’m only focusing on Farida. ” The album is available on both physical and digital formats on Universal Music.
