The melody man

Singer Brijesh Shandilya, who has crooned for ‘Spyder’, recaps his musical journey

Brijesh Shandilya

The interview begins on a melodious note as singer Brijesh Shandilya croons Haali haali, his latest Telugu number from the Mahesh Babu’s recent movie Spyder . Although the movie has evoked mixed reactions, music by Harris Jayaraj has created an enthusiastic response. Interestingly, Brijesh has also sung the Tamil equivalent Aali Aali for the movie. “The way people have reacted positively to both the songs is an achievement,” he states adding, “I am elated and can’t express my happiness in words.”

How it started

Having sung for Allu Arjun in

Sarrainodu , Brijesh is not new to the Telugu film industry. His journey in the music industry began a decade ago when he landed in Mumbai from his native town of Basti in Uttar Pradesh. Unlike many budding singers who begin their musical life from reality shows, Brijesh carved a niche on his own. “Many singers get name and fame through these shows but it didn’t happen to me. I was eliminated in the initial rounds,” he shares.

His music career began on a sombre note as he began singing in restaurants until he got an opportunity to sing in a studio in 2007. “I rehearsed for an hour but I’ve realised there was no soul in my singing, in fact, the irritated sound engineer asked if I sang in a hotel. I felt offended and told him that singing in a hotel is not a sin,” he recalls adding later he felt ashamed of reacting in an impulsive way. “The sound engineer was annoyed because I was wasting so much of his time. I became emotional and angry about it but later understood that he was right and felt guilty of reacting that way.”

Way forward

Thereafter Brijesh stopped singing in hotels and instead regularly visited studios to try his luck. His first break came in 2008 in

Oye Lucky

Lucky Oye and ever since it has been a way forward for him. With various kinds of songs under different banners, Brijesh cherishes the experiences. A big devotee of Lord Shiva, he states he prays to the god to keep him humble and grounded. Besides a singing career in films, Brijesh expands his horizon with the band ‘Madaari.’ “The name ‘Madaari’ was suggested by a close friend.

Madaari is a monkey man who is a hit with children and elders. Whenever a madaari came to our village, we would be thrilled. I liked the name too. When we (the band) go for a performance, we also make the audience dance to our music. Even if it is for just an hour, we make them happy.”

He is excited about his number in Anurag Kashyap’s new movie Mukkebaaz . “If there is any life changing number, it has to be this one,” he says proudly. “It is a complex number with different flavours; the song has drama and madness to it. I am crazy about the song. Whether it is hit or not the audience will decide but I am quite excited about it.”