It was Mahesh Bhatt saab's idea to get Shraddha to sing 'Galliyan.' I was all for it.
My music has to be pure.
If critics find my songs monotonous, then I also find their opinion monotonous.
What can I do if the director and producers comes to me with a certain demand for a vision for a song? I will try my best to give them a song that matches their vision.
At the end of the day I also need to earn my bread and butter. Just because I am not getting to show my versatility doesn't mean I will leave the projects that are coming my way.
I am not against remakes. They help in selling a film or creating a buzz around it. But it's my personal choice to stick to original music.
Almost every second film today has a rehashed version of an old song. In fact, even non-filmi songs are now being rehashed and used in Bollywood films, which is a good thing. But I don't want to be a part of that trend, not as a composer or as a singer.
I have always loved originality.
Jaipur is a city with a lot of genuine people.
I am singing for Ranbir Kapoor in 'Roy' and Emraan Hashmi in 'X Men.'
My struggle has been graceful. Yes, I have taken money from family, but never from outsiders.
My priority is my work.
I am not interested in anyone and will let my mother decide about my marriage.
Doing a single was always on my to-do list.
I got recognition because of film music, but people start recognizing me as an artiste more because of singles.
Films have bigger budgets unlike singles, so producers benefit more from them.
To release a single, a musician no longer needs to rely on a big label or production house, which are usually inaccessible.
While my father has a music group of his own, my mother sings devotional songs. So, right from childhood I would sit with them during practice and I trained under Vidod Dwivediji.
Once, I got a chance to meet filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar. He wanted me to give music for his film but the project never got off.
When 'Aashiqui' released there was no social media, yet it was a hit. Today we have the Internet which makes music very accessible to people.
See, as a music composer, I am not competing with any music composer.
I'm a born music lover and want to sing for all music composers as well but due to some false impression many makers feel that I prefer to make my own music and sing, though I'm equally comfortable in both.
At the end of the day, it is good music that matters to me, so I'm open to offers.
Oh, it was a tough call to reach Mumbai leaving friends and home behind but I knew 'it's now or never.' So I embarked on my new journey.
It has been a contented journey, as I made it without a filmi background tag, but at the same time, a lot remains to be done because there is much good music in me.
Melody is my strength and it requires a lot of hard work, proper training and guidance for singing such songs.
I am equally capable of doing club songs, slow rock songs and any other kind as well.
I told my parents about my musical dreams. They let me try my luck.
I have not thought of pairing with somebody for music direction and will continue composing music by myself.
I have chosen music as a profession for myself. I have never felt any kind of burden or pressure on being a part of this industry.
Music is my passion. I love music and I have a wish that my last breath be on stage.
I always try to come home for Diwali.
Frankly speaking, acting offers do come my way.
Yes, I am acting in my singles, but that is very different from acting in a movie.
When any artist performs for students, it automatically means they are getting a young crowd.
I come from U.P., so I can say that I have some knowledge about food and flavors.
Delhi's food is just outstanding.
I enjoy sitting on the floor in my house and eating daal chawal. That will remain with me wherever I go.
I am scared to even look at any woman.
Yes, I do go to movies with my female friends. But I make sure there is an empty seat between us. That seat will only be filled by my wife whenever she comes in my life.
There is no dearth of talented lyricists and I know many of them don't get an opportunity. After I received success, many of them approached me via e-mail or phone calls to tell me about their work. If I feel that a song written by a lyricist is fit for a film on which I am working as a composer, I give them the break.
The most thankless job in our film industry is that of lyricists. Next in the list are writers. These two don't get any recognition at all, whereas they have the most important roles in every film today.
I never thought that I would be able to make singing a career. It's great that my passion is also the source of my bread and butter.
I enjoy everything about singing.
I love performing in Delhi. It's the heart of the country.
It so happens that whenever I come to Delhi, my schedule is always packed. But sometimes, I call my friends to my hotel itself. And of course, I ask them to get the food I love. This way, I get to meet them and enjoy my favorite cuisines too.
In Mumbai I have to keep an eye on my diet so that I stay in shape, but at home I just indulge.
Since the time I started working in Bollywood, I have wanted to come and perform in Kanpur.
Music composition was a creative call for me, and it gives me a kick. But I never thought that I would ever sing professionally, even though I used to sing a lot.