Bollywood's rockstars Vishal, Shekhar rock the UAE

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Bollywoods rockstars Vishal, Shekhar rock the UAE

They spoke to us about music, having a friendly relation with other composers and finding inspiration.

By Arti Dani

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Published: Sun 22 Nov 2015, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 24 Nov 2015, 8:46 AM

Albert Einstein once said, "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music." A sentiment probably shared by musicians Vishal-Shekhar who gave us an insight into their world of music and why it is such a loved profession to be in. We caught up with famous duo ahead of their performance in Abu Dhabi last Friday at an event hosted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Abu Dhabi chapter at Al Jaheli Theatre, Armed Forces Officers Club. They told us that their musical night will be full of energy and also very interactive. And they did deliver. They spoke to us about music, having a friendly relation with other composers and finding inspiration. The popular and successful musical duo is currently working on Salman Khan's Sultan and Sonakshi Sinha's Akira. Their notable works include Jhankaar Beats, Om Shanti Om, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Dostana, Chennai Express, Bang Bang! and Happy New Year.
Do you enjoy performing in the UAE?
Shekhar: Last time we played here, people went completely nuts. It was like a nightclub. It was like a full-on rock concert, there were seats, but no one sat. People were standing, jumping, dancing and singing along with us.
Vishal: I love performing anywhere. People are people. We have done a lot of public concerts in Dubai and the people are extremely receptive to Bollywood music, they know the songs. It's like playing at home.
What song of yours are instant hits with the audience?
Vishal: Whenever Shekhar and I get on stage, we play for two and a half-hour songs that are all instant hits. Right from Bachna Ae Haseeno to Bluffmaster to Chammak Challo to Ooh la la to Tu Meri from Bang Bang, Radha from Student of the Year, Om Shanti Om etc the list just goes on and on.
Shekhar: We just did a concert in Bhubaneswar for a college. People went insane. There is a song called Ruk Ruk Ruk Jaana Na from Jhankaar Beats, which we have never performed on stage. People were asking for that song. So anything can happen and anywhere. People love us a lot and they follow every song from our albums and they get attached to certain songs and we love to play for them. It is so much fun to perform live because the energy is maddening. If the audience is receptive then we go insane as the performers. We know the pulse of the audience; we know when they are having fun. And when they are jamming with us. That is the magic of being on stage.
Vishal, you have your band as well, do you ever play the song from your private album?
Vishal: No, it's a different act altogether. My band Pentagram has nothing to do with Bollywood. They are two different worlds. We also have sections in the show where I perform some of the songs that I have sung for other composers who are friends, be it Amit Trivedi or Pritam or Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Similarly, Shekhar has a set that he does which is a lot more stripped down. He has a beautiful voice for light songs and ballads; Zehnaseeb is one of his trademark songs.
Both of you are successful singers as well apart from being sought-after music directors, which part do you prefer more - singing or composing?
Vishal: I would like to think of ourselves as successful musicians, both of us do everything and there is no reason why anyone should limit themselves to any one particular designation. We live in music and enjoy music, so it's all one thing for us.
Shekhar: While we are making the song, we are singing it. You are in fact singing the song when you are presenting to the director or the producer. Then we decide what kind of voice suits the song.
It's a combination of composing, putting the lyrics together and then singing it, so you are enjoying every single phase of it.
Initially, it's a raw tune, there is nothing behind it, and then we put lyrics on it, once you put lyrics on, you get into the arranging stage. Then you put guitar, drums, base, it's like a small baby which is growing, then it becomes three years old and six years old and suddenly it becomes so big that you have to give it away like we give away our daughter.
We are very fortunate that we are doing what we are doing and god has given us that gift to make people smile. With the kind of hectic life that people have, I am glad our music can help them be at ease or relax.
Both of you have worked with composers like Amit Trivedi, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and others, do you guys share a friendly relation with each other?
Vishal: All of us kind of grew up together; all of us became composers around the same time. When I say all of us, I am referring to the top line guys like Pritam, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Salim-Suleiman. We all kind of started at the same time, that particular group of composers - we were all friends before we became composers. Very often we'd inhabit the same studios to do jingles in a different room, we all learnt from each other, we all encouraged each other and that vibe just continues to this day.
Amit Trivedi is someone who is from a slightly later generation, but for his first film Aamir he had come to our studio to ask me to sing a song. I heard the song in his voice and I refused to sing it. I was like, "It is better in your voice. No way. Why would you change it." And that was the first song he sang. So the relationship is friendlier than anything else. Music can never be about bitterness and competition, it is a far larger thing and we are all privileged to have it and to share it with each other is the best thing that we can do.
Shekhar: It's very cool right now. I have also heard that it used to be cool earlier too, there are a lot of people who say that there used to be issues and ego hassles (amongst music directors of the previous generation). But I have met a few legends who told me that when they (known composers) used to get stuck, they used to meet their fellow composers who were also legends and take each others' help.
We have heard that R D Burman would go to some musician's house and vice versa and jam. Right now the scene is so cool, that Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Amit Trivedi etc when they come and visit or when we go to their studios, we are playing each other's unreleased music. I feel really happy to play my music to someone and we take inputs and talk about it. It's such a beautiful thing.
Is it easier or tougher to sing for other composers?
Vishal: I never feel any pressure. Pressure is not a factor in my life.
How do you keep yourself updated with music? Do you feel that your musical style has had to change with the changing times?
Shekhar: I listen to a lot of Internet radio and kind of let it go on to whatever genre it takes me to. This afternoon I went to Marina Mall (Abu Dhabi). I told my driver to play some Arabic music and while he was surfing there was also a Carnatic classical going on in one of the channels. I told him to play that as well. So wherever I travel, I am taking everything in. It's like an ocean, there is so much of music across the world.
After recording 500 songs and doing 65 films, I still feel like I am still learning from all these people, not just from the legend but also from the new people who are doing some crazy stuff. Every one month the genre is changing, every month people's taste in music is changing. Learning is an on-going process.
Vishal: Shekhar and I have always been the change. If you look back on our career, you will find that a lot of the stuff that you take for granted as part of the sound of Hindi films now are stuff that Shekhar and I did for the first time. Whether it's the rock ballad or the particular combination of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) with Indian folk. To say that we did it for the first time would be foolish because R D Burman did it all before us. So there have always been innovators. A R Rahman has changed everything, over and over again. The key is to not follow the changes but initiate the changes. The only way music stays fun for a musician is when you keep reinventing yourself, your sound and your musical expression. That is something we work hard towards doing. We listen to our own music and others' music with equal joy.
arti@khaleejtimes.com 


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