I didn’t force my kids to choose music; it was their decision: Kumar Sanu

Singer Kumar Sanu, whose children — daughter Shannon Kumar and son Jaan Kumar Sanu — have decided to follow in his footsteps and pursue singing, says that he never pushed them to be musicians. He just wanted them to follow their dream, and turns out, music was their calling.

“Interestingly, they both have followed in my footsteps. I never forced them to choose music as their career — it was their own decision. I believe that children should be allowed to pursue their dreams. Doing so will always help them come up with good work and extraordinary results. That will also make the parents proud,” he says.

Sharing his kids’ music journey so far, the singer, who ruled the charts in the 90s, says, “My daughter sings in English, and we recently came up with a song called It’s Magical. It is a fusion of English and Hindi, where Shannon has sung the former, and I, the latter.”

About his son, Jaan, Sanu says, “My son is interested in working on covers. He has recently recomposed the song Dil Mera Churaya Kyun from the film Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995).”

It is a common perception that having a famous father helps, but his Los Angelesbased daughter hasn’t had it easy, asserts Sanu. “My daughter is struggling to get work in Hollywood because nobody knows me there, but for my son, it is not so difficult. Most importantly, I believe that their hard work and passion helps them bag work.”

Nicknamed the Tiger of Bollywood songs by composer duo Nadeem-Shravan, the 60year-old believes that technology has made singing easy for new-age Bollywood singers. “We have done so much hard work in our time. There used to be so many people sitting on different instruments and working on a song, but nowadays, a single musical instrument can help you in so many ways,” he says.

Sanu says he is happy to see people still turning out to see his live performances. “Despite having so many new Bollywood songs, it is really a proud moment when people still come to listen to my songs,” says Sanu, who is famous for popular numbers such as Saanson Ki Zaroorat Hai Jaise, Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye, Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai, Chura Ke Dil Mera and others.

Kumar Sanu and daughter Shannon have come up with a song called It’s Magical