I feed off the energy of the audience: KK

What surprises do you have in store for your fans in Dubai this time?

I’m happy to be back in Dubai with Shaan. We enjoy a great rapport and it will be a wonderful gig. It is too early to talk about any surprises. All I can say is that we are going to have a lot of fun on stage.

Tell us a bit about your journey in the industry so far.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my 20-plus years in Bollywood. It doesn’t seem too long, especially when you’ve been enjoying it. It has been a great learning experience and I made a lot of friends in the industry. I have certainly evolved over the years. More importantly, I have kept the faith all along and trusted my abilities.

What are some of the challenges you face in the age of digital music production?

I have been lucky to be part of the transition into the digital age. The digital age has made production and recording music very easy. Having said that, I also miss the warmth of music production from the earlier era. Guess, that’s part of the evolution process and you have to move with the times, whether you like it or not.

The taste of listeners is changing rapidly, how do you keep yourself relevant, especially with so many new talents on the scene?

India has an abundance of talent, be it in any field. You just have to believe in yourself and do what you think is right. Singing is the only thing I like to do and it has been a passion for me. You keep discovering new sides to yourself as you progress on the path. As long as you are willing to accept challenges and keep changing with the times you can stay relevant. You just need to be true to what you do.

attempt and give a modern spin?

I love old romantic songs and especially those sung by Kishore (Kumar) da. But I find it difficult to redo old songs because they are timeless. The melody and lyrics stay relevant over the years. So you really can’t do much to change that. Maybe, the only change you can bring to the composition is to produce it to suit the tastes of the current generation. That is the only alteration I would do to a classic track. If I have to redo a classic, it would have to be the romantic track Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas by Kishore Kumar.