SINGING FOR A CAUSE
Ahead of her performance in Mumbai at a fundraiser, veteran singer Usha Uthup gets candid about her illustrious career
With a voice that can give you goosebumps, live performances that rock, Usha Uthup packs a punch wherever she goes. The dazzling and charismatic singer with her trademark jazzy vermillion, traditional colourful necklaces and her kanjeevaram saris adorned with fresh flowers in her hair... Regarded as one of India’s earliest female pop and jazz singers, who has performed at nightclubs to packed concerts across the globe, done Bollywood music, has over a 100 music albums and counting, Usha’s music appeals to everyone. Currently, the legend is gearing up for a performance at a fundraiser in Mumbai this week.
In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, the prolific singer recounts her over 50-year-long musical journey and her upcoming performance to raise funds for Alert India.
Tell us about your upcoming performance and musical fundraiser.
I have been associated with Alert India for goodness knows how many years now. It’s just wonderful working for a cause like this because though we know that leprosy has been eradicated from India or maybe from the world, still I don’t think people are aware of how much are the treatment costs etc. The awareness is not there. So working for a fundraiser, especially working for Veera Rao, is very satisfying. Veera is such an amazing human being. Her whole team, husband included, are so dedicated and totally compassionate. So there’s no way that you can even feel like saying ‘no’ to them.
Your take on your long and eventful career... It’s been 54 years since I’ve been singing, singing English songs long before I got a chance to sing in a Hindi film. I’ve been singing in nightclubs since 1969. It’s been absolutely wonderful and my journey so far has been amazing because people have always supported me. People like you, who you know, who want to still write, write about me and get youngsters to read about me, it’s just fantastic. When I look back on this long career of mine, I can only say with all humility, thank you God, thank you to my musicians, thank you to all the audiences that I’ve had for so long. kanjeevaram bindis.
saris, and bindis and this I did only because I come from a very normal, traditional South Indian middle class family. I just wore whatever my sisters wore, whatever my mother wore and whatever sarees were in the house. As for the bindis, it started off with small bindis, then slowly the sizes became bigger and the creative. Soon it became a fashion statement.
People love all this and love the kanjeevaram shoes I wear. The kids say she’s so cool, some say I’m so swag. That’s all because of all of you.
Last year, you came out with your memoir written by Vikas Kumar Jha. Any reason why you decided to let someone else write your life story?
No, actually it wasn’t a memoir written by Vikas Kumar Jha. It’s a fantastic jivani, as they call it, the biography. I didn’t let anybody else write because I really didn’t have any plans to write anyway, though there have been many people who offered to write my biography.
It was finally Vikas Kumar Jha who wanted an interview with me. I never imagined that an interview could be like that. When you talk to somebody, you can make out that this person is not going to distort facts. He would write it as you say it. It was never meant to be a biography, it was only meant to be an interview. But it just so happened that we touched on so many topics, so many parts of my childhood, that I’d never spoken about before, that I think it just gave itself to being a biography.
In January you released two songs, one on cricket icon Sourav Ganguly and the other on Africa, are you passionate about both? Cricket and Africa both excite me very much. I am passionate about Africa in a different way because I’ve been to Africa so many times. We’ve done some very amazing shows, met some amazing people like Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta and we’ve had a wonderful time over there because I was able to record (my song) Malaika which was also my first Swahili song. As for Cricket I think it is in every Indian’s bloodstream or DNA or whatever it is.
You did the title track for Drishyam 2 last year. Tell us something about it.
Working on Drishyam 2 with music director Devi Sri Prasad was an amazing experience. It was one of the best times of my life, because working through the internet and the three states involved, Madras, Bombay and Kolkata, was just fantastic. Drishyam 2 is such an amazingly powerful film. I believe Ajay Devgan was very keen to have my singing as well. I do hope all of you loved it.
You play Akshara Haasan’s grandmother in Raja Ramamurthy’s Tamil film Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu. What was the experience like?
Great experience working with Akshara Haasan, mainly because, of course, she’s Kamal Haasan’s daughter. It was so amazing because the generations are so widely split. She’s really so tiny and a good actress. I hope I get many more opportunities to work in films because I love acting in films.
What projects Bollywood and otherwise are you working on?
There are many other Bollywood projects which are going on, but it’s difficult for me to give all the names because half the Bollywood projects, they don’t get their names till the final days.
Have you ever thought of taking a break from music?
No, I’ve never thought of taking a break, and God, make that dream of mine come true. I never want to take a break. In fact, I say that to every artist and every creative person. Never ask God for a break. Because when he gives you a break, it will be really hard to take. So, I don’t want a break at all. I just want to sing and laugh till I cry. What’s the line? I want to live till I die. I wanna laugh, till I cry. I would put it the other way, I would say, I want to sing till I die. I thank God for all this. In all humility, I say, God, what would I have done without music really.