The 27-year old with the movie star looks and voice of an angel has gone from reality TV show winner to film phenomenon with unforgettable hits like Bairi Piya, Yeh Ishq Hai, Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai, Barso Re and Teri Ore. Ghoshal has won a huge number of accolades, including 4 National Awards and give Filmfare and has delivered hits in different languages and worked with the biggest music directors around. If that wasn’t enough, the classically trained singer has also developed a reputation for being one of the best live performers in the world.
Shreya will be delivering one of these amazing performances at Wembley Arena at the end of this month and in Leicester a few days later. Eastern Eye caught up with the melody queen to find out more about her concerts, her incredible journey in Bollywood, dealing with sky-high expectations and why she isn’t interested in acting.
Q: When you first started out, did you think you would become so successful?
A: (Smiles) When I started out, I was just a kid! I think I was too young to even think or decide if music was to become my career or not. So knowing about whether I would be successful was out of question at that point. Music was always something that came so easily to me and I have always enjoyed singing more than anything else in the world.
Q: How would you describe your time in music?
A: The music of today’s time is exactly mirroring the lives of the modern Indian society; it’s very smart, influenced by globalisation and at the same time rooted in our traditions. There are lots of experimental films happening in the world of Bollywood, so music in these films is a mixed bag of genres – folk, rock, qawwali, ghazhal, pop, thumbri. But not necessarily all experiments have the best outcome. (Smiles) Some are good and some are disasters.
Q: When did you feel that you had made it to the top?
Q: How much does it mean to you when you win all these awards?
A: I don’t sing to win awards. I have never entered a studio, heard the song and gone to the mic to sing, thinking it will get me a National Award. Awards are motivating and encouraging to any talent and it definitely makes me feel responsible towards music lovers and their expectations from me. I just hope I always entertain them and surprise them with better songs every time
Q: Which award means most to you?
A: The national awards are very close to my heart. It is won on the basis of merit of the performance and not on popularity of the work.
Q: Which songs have you enjoyed singing most?
A: All my songs. If I am unable to enjoy the songs and the process of recording I would rather not sing because it would sound half hearted and disconnected. But I think Yeh Ishq Hai was one song, it was super fun and had fabulous music arrangements. I enjoyed this recording a lot.
Q: Who has been the most interesting person you have met in the film industry?
A: (Smiles) There have been plenty. My interactions have been with music-related people the most. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is my most favourite. He is fun-loving and madly passionate about films, music and food. Most of the music directors and co-singer’s I work with are quite fun-loving. Everyone has a different style of humour which combined with their respective talents, is a lethal combo.
Q: How does being in the studio compare to the stage?
A: The two are completely different experiences. Studios are serene and that’s where brilliant ideas are put together and a beautiful song is created, whereas live concerts are larger than life. The energy, adrenaline rush, excitement, music and interaction with the audience take the experience to a different level altogether.
A: There have been many. My performances at Sydney Opera House, Esplanade (Singapore) and Bandra Fort plus many more in other cities have been memorable experiences. Soon I am going to perform at Wembley too. I am totally geared up for yet another exciting experience.
Q: How much are you looking forward to performing in the UK?
A: Very much! I came (to Britain) last year and I am so happy and honoured that the organisers wanted to do bigger shows
this time because of the love UK showered on us. I feel loved, thank you. The UK has an awesome audience. What more do I want?
Q: Can you tell us about the show?
A: There will be two concerts coming up, one on April 30 at Wembley Arena in London and the other on May 2 in Leicester. I am performing with my band of musicians and male co-singer Shiv Prasad Mallya. Then there is Harpreet, a finalist from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa who will enthrall you with his powerful voice. Comedy-wise, we have Gaurav Sharma from the TV show, Laughter Challenge.
Q: How do UK audiences compare to those in India?
A: UK Audiences are full on energy and love. They never feel shy to express their joy and enthusiasm. I had wonderful audiences at my concerts last year.
Q: How do you manage to do such long and amazing live sets?
A: I love performing. That’s enough to inspire me. Also, many of my fans drive for hours with the whole family just to attend the concert, so the least I can do is deliver a wonderful evening to take back in their hearts. I feel humbled.
Q: Where does the power in your voice come from?
A: God, it’s all given by the almighty. I just do my practice and continue learning and bettering my techniques.
Q: Which of your songs usually get the greatest response?
A: I get great responses from the latest releases, like the songs from Dabangg and Zoobi Doobi (3 idiots). The most requests are for Teri Ore, Yeh Ishq Hai and Mere Dholna. Jaadu Hai Nasha and songs from Devdas are also popular, as is Agar Tum Mil Jao, which still gets an amazing response.
Q: Which classics do you enjoy singing?
A: Oh, there are so many. Lataji rules my heart. Her songs by composers like SD Burman, Madan Mohan, RD Burman and Salil
Chowdhury are my favourites.
Q: People have sky-high expectations of you. Does that put any pressure on you?
A: (Thinks) Hmmm, no, I think it’s a good pressure. It keeps me pro-active and inspires me to do new things and explore more. I am thankful to them for having high expectations from me, that itself is the biggest award I could have received.
Q: What is the secret of a good live set?
A: There is no secret really. Apart from good vocals and music, and a thoughtfully chosen graph or tempo of the songs, which includes all kinds; emotional, romantic, classical, pop-ish, folkish, rocking, heart-touching and soulful. Otherwise the concert is monotonous. But in the end, everything is finally decided by the atmosphere, the audience’s mood and the vibe. There are always changes in the list of songs on the stage when requests start flowing in.
Q: What are your greatest unfulfilled ambitions?
A: None! I am not too ambitious. I like to live in the moment. I don’t like planning my future or regretting the past.
Q: Who would you love to collaborate with?
A: I would like to collaborate with new people instead of the already established ones, especially the hidden talents in India. And there are many.
Q: Do you have any ambitions away from music like acting?
A: I have never been too confident about acting. There have been many good offers from well-known directors, but it’s just not my calling/ I like to sing. If i ever want to act, I will first try to master the art to some level before taking up any project. But I will appear in music videos, whenever I do any.
Q: Apart from singing what do you do better than your close friends?
A: (Laughs) nothing at all! Ok, no jokes. I can cook better than many of my friends. Yes, I am confident about that.
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring singer?
A: Learn about music. Your passion should be singing, not the idea of becoming famous. If you strive for excellence, success will have to follow. Be the best at what you take up, be it singing, painting, engineering, entrepreneurship, politics, photography or anything else. You may want to watch the movie 3 idiots to understand what I am trying to say.
Q: What else can we look forward to from you in the future?
A: Some interesting sings have been recorded, which will be released later. My latest song is Mehki Mehki, from the film Game.
Q: Which of your unreleased songs do you think will be monster hit?
A: I can’t say or judge a song that way, but do have some interesting stuff coming up. What the audience like or what the music companies decide to promote as a blockbuster film or song is always a mystery to us.
Q: Finally why should we all come to see you perform live?
A: Because I love my UK audience. You guys are super cool and so am I. (Laughs) A little buttering up is allowed, right? But seriously, please come as I know we will have a great evening together with some meaningful music as well as a lot of ‘dhamaal’ in store.
Shreya is currently busy planning her tours of UK, South Africa & Netherlands. The tours begin on 24th April with a live do at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa. This will be followed by Wembley Arena London, UK on the 30th April. On 2nd of May Shreya heats up Leicester,UK and then on 5th she will be performing at the World Forum Theater The Hague, Netherlands. So, a busy month ahead for the Diva.
This interview has been reproduced from Eastern Eye(a British weekly newspare of the Ethnic Media Group) courtsey a Shreya Ghoshal fan - Shamma Khan, who has painstakingly reproduced it from print.
its nice...
ReplyDeletei too shreya's fan
i like jadoo hai nasha songg very much...
really thanks to zee tv to brought her on music worlddd....