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‘I didn’t even know who Zayn was until he sang my song’
Singer-lyricist-composer Kailash Kher didn’t even know who Zayn Malik was up until Saturday, when Zayn, a huge pop star in the West and former vocalist of the band One Direction, posted a cover version of Kailash’s song Teri Deewani on his own Instagram account. The Sufistyle song, released in 2006, is one of Kailash’s biggest hits, from his first album, Kailasa.
Reacting to Zayn’s cover, and the way it went viral, Kailash says, “I didn’t even know who he was until someone sent me the video saying, ‘Look, who sang your song’. I was like, ‘Kaun hai bhai?’ Then I went on to his Instagram [account], and saw that he has covered the song, and he has over 27 million followers. That’s when I learnt about him and came to know that he is a big pop star in the West, who is a huge icon.”
Kailash was still absorbing the craze over Zayn’s cover, when the pop star, 25, covered one more of his songs — Allah Ke Bande (from Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, 2003).
Although Kailash did love Zayn’s first attempt, he thinks the English singer (of half-Pakistani descent) needs to learn the “proper nuances” to perform the song. “For Zayn Malik, I would suggest... we have our digital academy coming up soon, where there will be a course dedicated to all our compositions, which include Teri Deewani and other superhits... [so] to know and learn the correct codes and nuances. It will help him improve his skills on such songs,” says Kailash.
Having said all that, he feels “humbled” and “honoured” that his music has reached artists across the world.
“Definitely, Teri Deewani inspires many people around the globe,” he says. “Many learn it, and some are inspired to even perform it. A few years ago, a friend sent me a link where the renowned African bass player and singer Richard Bona was performing Teri Deewani at his concert in Japan.” Kailash adds, “It feels nice, and I feel extremely honoured when your writing and compositions inspire millions globally. To see Teri Deewani resonate with people across age groups is a humbling feeling as an artist.”