I just want to have a great musical journey: Amit Mishra

Lucknowi boy Amit Mishra is out with a soulful rendition of Meer-e-Karwan in Lucknow Central. The Bulleya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) hitmaker, who has also given chartbusters like Manmaa Emotion (Dilwale), Radio (Tubelight), and Galti Se Mistake (Jagga Jasoos) speaks about his favourites in the industry and his ultimate goal as a singer.

Tell us more about singing Meer-e-Karwan...

It’s a soft Sufi song with beautiful lyrics and Farhan Akhtar is anyway a rockstar for me. Being part of the band culture, I’ve been a big fan of Rock On! and Farhan, so when I got to know that I’d be singing for him, I was very excited. I really admire Neeti Mohan as a singer and Rochak Kohli’s as a composer. So, it was an amazing experience singing the song.  

How has the wait been to have a massive hit only in 2016 with Bulleya though you’ve been singing since about 2010?

Even in the initial phase of my career, I got a chance to sing for Chirantan Bhatt (1920: The Evil Returns) and Prashant Muchchal (Karle Pyar Karle), whose work I really like, so I’m happy. From spending six hours a day in studio sessions, I now sometimes spend 12-14 hours. It’s actually been great ever since I started.   

How do you strike a balance between playback singing and your live band AMLive Project?

I love being inside the studio, patiently recording a song for hours, and working with a team of musicians to learn the technical aspect of singing. I also like the appreciation that I receive at a live performance. It just takes my passion to the next level. Since I like studio sessions as much as the stage, I don’t find it difficult to manage both.

Who are your favourite composers and vocalists in the industry?

From one to at least 10, it would be Pritam da for me among composers (laughs) because I learnt a lot from him at the rehearsal sessions. I really like Salim-Suleiman, Vishal-Shekhar, and Rochak Kohli’s work a lot and would love to sing for them. Among singers, Sonu Nigam is an eternal favourite. From the contemporaries, I think Benny Dayal is brilliant. Nakash Aziz is great live, I call Sreerama Chandra Mr Pitch Perfect because he really is. Antara Mitra, Nikita Gandhi and Jonita Gandhi among female singers are my favourites.

What’s your ultimate goal as a singer?

I just want to have a great musical journey, travel the world with my songs, perform with the best artistes, and to be remembered as a brilliant singer. I honestly don’t know what brilliant exactly implies, but just brilliant (laughs).

What are your upcoming songs?

I haven’t had the time to work on singles in a while now, so I hope to work with someone like Parthiv Shah, whom I collaborated with for the Eternal Love album.