It’s really hard to keep up with trends, says Pooja
Punjabi singer Miss Pooja’s debut song — Second Hand Jawaani in Cocktail (2012) — was a smash hit, which should have paved the way for many more. But this wasn’t the case.
“What happens, sometimes, is that music producers only get singers in their group to sing...I was made to sing a song, saw how the song should sound, but they then got other big singers to sing it. It happened recently with three to four songs. Aisa nahi hai ki everybody is like that,” says Miss Pooja, who is ready with her new song, Mehendi — a wedding track that is recreated from a 35-year-old song.
With recreations already in the market, what prompted her to add one more to the growing list? She says, “Recreating and releasing songs is not a bad thing. Gaane ka essence aur feel nahi marni chahiye. I felt good recreating Mehendi. I get lot of requests [to sing] the song in my live shows. Thirty-five years is a long time. Youngsters ka yeh gaana sunna banta hai.”
The Punjabi music scene is growing at a rapid pace, and as singers have revealed, new hits come up on a daily basis. In such a scenario, getting your song noticed and keeping up with trends must be hectic. The Malamaal (Housefull 3, 2016) singer agrees, and says, “One has to be very active and make changes according to the audience’s demands. Lyrics, too, have to be fresh and be changed from time to time.”
Objectification of women in songs and lyrics about alcohol has often stirred controversy. Ask Miss Pooja about this and she says, “To tell you the truth, I myself have sung songs with such words. But now, after being solo, I remain a bit away. Duets mein ‘Daaru Chadh Gayi’ jaise gaane gaaye hain. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to justify this answer. I try to avoid it [these lyrics]. Yeh audiences ke upar hai, they like such songs. But not every song should be
like that.”