For a generation of Indians growing up on a staple of Bollywood music, Sukhwinder Singh is a household name, mainly on account of popular ditties such as Chaiya Chaiya , Chak De India and Jai Ho , among many others.
In the city for a concert organised by Imperial Blue, Sukhwinder talked about his career in Bollywood and the changes technology has bought in the music industry.
He says, “I was always passionate about learning more about music. I wanted to explore and enhance my music and travelled across the world to learn more. I appreciate music from all parts of the world.”
Sukhwinder does not want to pick favourites in the industry. “I have enjoyed working with everyone from Vishal Bharadwaj to A.R. Rehman. Everyone has their own style and mannerisms. I look forward to working with different people to get a better perspective. I cannot pick a favourite music director as such.”
He contends that it is important for background singers to sing for the character instead of the actor. “The singer plays an important role in setting the mood of the movie. If you sing for an actor instead of the character he is playing on stage, you are not doing justice to your role. In 2008, I sang ‘Dard E Disco’ and ‘Chak De India’ for Shah Rukh Khan. They were both different songs and could not have been interchanged. If I had sung for SRK instead of the characters in the movie, the songs would have fallen flat.”
Sukhwinder feels that his passion brings out the high pitch that often defines the songs he sings. “The high pitch is not power. It is passion. Passion is power. I sing to entertain people and not just as a playback singer. I feel that this type of singing has found acceptance and people enjoy it a lot. It is one of the reasons that I love singing dance songs, which is full of life and energy.”
Music has changed and has become dependent on technology, says Sukhwinder. “I do not know whether it is a good trend. You can use technology to mask deficiencies, but only good music survives in the long run. Recall value is also important for making good music.”
The internet, Sukhwinder argues has bought about many changes in the industry. “It has helped small time artistes get noticed quickly and create a space for themselves. Record companies are also changing their focus. I feel that record companies and some sort of regulation is often necessary.”
