‘Anyone’s a singer now’
Padma Shri Kailash Kher talks about his latest album, the changing music industry and his fans...
“God has created me to make music,” says Padma Shri winner and singer Kailash Kher, who has come a long way in his journey and has now dedicated his latest album to his favourite god — Shiva.
Releasing his new album Shivoham on the digital platform Hungama music, the singer shared a glimpse of his latest collection of songs at Hungama Spotlight.
Talking about winning the Padma Shri, Kher says, “I feel the talent in itself is an award. The biggest award is to be respected for your personality and thought process. I already felt I had a lot of responsibility but after a career of 12 years, if your country acknowledges you in this manner, you feel your responsibility increases manifold.”
But the music industry has changed drastically from where it was 12 years ago. With internet in every pocket and all kinds of artists ready to upload their work, is the digital media affecting established artists in a negative manner? Kher says, “There are pros and cons to everything. Today, anyone — even people who once used to call themselves bathroom singers — can call himself a singer. The term ‘bathroom’ in that phrase has become redundant. This is one of the facilities of the digital medium. You can sing anything and upload it and be known as a singer. You will at least get likes from your family members and friends who will forward it to other people and get you more likes. It is not difficult to get likes and that boosts confidence.” While such likes and fame might be shortlived, established artists too don’t remain on top of the charts all the time. With audiences listening to songs for a while and moving on to another artist soon, is the wave of popularity an artist enjoys short-lived? “I think it is a beautiful way of experiencing life and life has its own dynamics. If people move from singer to singer, it doesn’t mean that the previous singer totally disappears from the scene. Your fans will like you no matter what, and the number of fans only increases,” he shares.
Kher recalls, “Colleges where I had performed songs like Teri Deewani and Saiyyan, got me a huge number of fans. Today, many of them are working in various corporate houses and I get called a lot of times to sing on their foundation days and other such events. It reflects the love they have for me and the beautiful memories they must have made back in college. When you grow, your audience also grows at each step.”
About other artists and new remixes, the singer shares that he doesn’t have time to listen to other artists. He adds, “I hardly have time as I am always busy with my own music.”
Talking about his album Sivoham, the singer says, “It is a chant which is surrounded by selflessness and is devoid of any desire. I have sung numerous spiritual songs, but somehow a whole album never happened on the theme.”
You can sing anything and upload it. You will at least get likes from your family and friends