This feisty girl from Panipat district in Haryana was rejected in the third round of Indian Idol Season Six in 2012. But within five years, Asees Kaur made it big in Bollywood, giving several hit songs. Her song, ‘Raatan Lambiyan’from the Hindi movie Shershaah in 2021 catapulted her to unparalleled fame. Asees has lent her soulful voice to numerous chartbusters like ‘Bolna’ and ‘Akh Lad Jaave’.
Last week, Asees released her single, ‘I don’t give a f***’ (IDGAF), which garnered 1.5 million plus views in less than 48 hours. In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, she talks about her journey from Panipat to Bollywood, the role of luck and the shadow in which female voices live in the music industry:
Excerpts from an edited interview:
You started singing without any formal training. How important is formal training for those who wish to make a career as a singer?
As you know, I started on my own. I used to sing shabads. I would prepare myself by listening to cassettes rbut it was time-consuming I remember my first took me 30 days to prepare. . With time, the preparation period is reduced, and now it takes a day. If one really wishes to take up singing as a career, I feel formal training is helpful as it teaches you to finetune your voice and also builds your confidence. A good guru can teach you the ragas and modulations and everything else; it makes your journey easy.
How did the rejection from the Indian Idol show a decade ago impact you?
I was heartbroken when I was rejected because for me reaching Mumbaiand singing in films was a dream; I knew nobody in the city. For me, reality shows were the only doorway to becoming a singer. But when I was rejected in the early rounds, I cried for three days; did not talk to anybody; kept thinking nothing good is going to happen to me. Then I told myself I need to work hard for my dream. When I look back, I realisewhen one door closes, another opens; you have to grab that opportunity and work harder.
‘Raatan Lambiyan’ took your career to a different level; why do you think the song became such a huge success?
It is very difficult for any musician to answer this question because whenever we make a song, we hope that it will be a major hit. I think people instantly connected to the song, the melody was very easy to learn and sing along to. The lyrics were relatable. It was during COVID times whenShershah was released on OTT and people were mostly at home; they loved the movie and its star cast; perhaps that helped the song and also vice-versa.
Your career has seen a meteoric rise. How do you take to fame? .
I have always dreamt of becoming that famous singer who cannot eat pani-puri by the roadside without being recognised and mobbed. I’m inspired by Shahrukh Khan who says that he had the same dream. I am basking in the fame and love that I have received from people in the last few years; My Insta and DMs overflow with good messages and I am enjoying it. .
Are you open to singing in other languages ?
I have already sung in Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and English, besides Punjabi and Hindi. It’s challenging when you get a song from another language because you don’t know the words and their meaning. You have to sit with the lyricist to understand what he’s trying to say and then emote it. For singers, lyrics are important to feel and portray the emotion of the song; though time-consuming, it gives a lot of pleasure when you overcome the challenge.
Tell us about your latest single?
IDGAF, is a special song . I have done a lot of love and heartbreak songs and dance numbers (club songs). A non-film song is my way of thanking my fans by doing something different from the stuff I usually do. IDGAF is a fun song and about the spirit of taking charge of one’s life.We worked for a year on this song; it is a beautiful song and I enjoyed singing it. I fell in love with Goldie, the composer, and we got engaged after the song was recorded.
Can you name one IDGAF moment from your life?
When I decided to come to Bombay after the Indian Idol rejection, everybody in the family told me I should get married. My father was like “I don’t give a f***” to what people say. He decided to take me to Mumbai and pushed me to pursue my dream.
