Poor thing........a lonely, minor, weak voice in a sea of respect, admiration, and adulation for ARR........
--- In [email protected], Gopal Srinivasan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > He seems to think that repeating an untruth several times will make it the truth > > A CHANGE OF TUNE > > > > > > > Bollywood music directors are literally spoilt for choice. They have a > wide plethora of voices to choose from. They not only get to call the shots but > save on costs too. The age of monopoly is over. Nobody is indispensible. > > A.R. Rahman was approached by > Shah Rukh Khan to compose > music for Om Shanti Om. But he > had remuneration issues to sort > out - SRK said he couldn't wait. > So Rahman was out, Vishal-Shekar > were roped in. > > > > > > > By RAJIV VIJAYAKAR > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > T > here is a tectonic shift in > the world of film music > and many shibboleths > have already felt the > shivers. Time was when > five greats - Lata > Mangeshkar, Asha > Bhosle, Mohammed > > Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar - dominated our music world. Their voices > soothed, cajoled and inspired us. This is no > longer the case. There are hundreds of > singers now. They come and go like > mayflies. We hear voices but even before > we can identify them, a new voice has taken > over. But who cares? The songs are superhits. "There is a pool of talent to choose from > and the age of monopoly is over. Directors > are no longer willing to put up with anyone's whims and fancies," says music director Ehsan, of the Shankar-Ehsan-Loy trio. > But the old-timers obviously think otherwise. "There are 500 singers today instead > of five," complains Nitin Mukesh, singer > and son of the legendary Mukesh. He adds, > > "Some of the singers are outstanding > and yet the overall impact is > missing. Something is > wrong somewhere." > But then came A.R. > Rahman and everything > changed - perhaps forever. To the lay listener, > Rahman brought in a > > new sound and a > so-called > âinternational' > feel. His innova > tions had more > far reaching impli > cations in the arena > of playback singing. > Firstly, and most vital > ly, he reduced the > importance of the > singer. For him, > the human voice > > was just another > facet of the composi > tion and perhaps not > the most important one. > Singers could be new, > > could come from any > region or background. In > > certain songs, he even experimented with > âoff-key' singers to enhance the ânaturalness' of the songs. Otherwise, there were > always pitch correction machines. > "Such singers fail to deliver the emotions, > for every song has an ascending emotional > graph," says Asha Bhosle. "They also do > not have the energy to sing for five minutes > at a stretch with the right breath control and > simultaneous attention to all aspects vocal throw, melody, rhythm, expression, > diction and modulation." > "Pitch-correction software can also > enhance your voice quality, and so even my > dhobi can become a singer," says popular > playback singer Sonu Nigam. "There are > established singers who should do a puja of > the computer everyday because their > hearths burn thanks to it." > Rahman also killed the importance of > lyrics at the altar of grooves and âmetres' > (writing lyrics to fit tunes). Words became > nothing more than fillers of a pre-existing > catchy tune. And Rahman's success opened > the gates for a whole new brigade of young > composers whose musical taste was western or fusion-oriented. Most of them had > > scant regard for raagas, meaningful verse > and good diction. Their emergence paralleled the growth of technology too. > "Film music is no longer made for the > story or situation but only to fit into a tune," > says music analyst Amod Mehra. "Today's > youngster wants a new song to dance to > every week and another as his ringtone." > "How many people know actually understand tonal quality? That is of no consequence at all," says veteran music director > Pyarelal. > Is the scenario dark then? Those who are > riding the wave disagree hotly. "Most of us > come from non-film backgrounds and dare > to break conventions like the mukhdaantara structure," says Pritam, the busiest > music director today. "This makes for lots > of freshness." > He does not mind experimenting with > unknown singers. "A song like Tum se hi in > my latest film Jab We Met could have been > recorded with an established singer like > KK. But I chose Mohit Chauhan, a talented > singer from a pop band, and he's done a > good job. There is so much of variety today. > So why not use it?" > Most of the recent hits have been with > new or âspecialist' singers. Their origins > (Atif Aslam and Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan > from Pakistan, Shubha Mudgal from Indian > classical, Mika and Labh Janjua from > Punjabi folk, Karunya from a TV talent > hunt, Dominique from jingles) do not matter as long as the song is a hit - even if it > is for a few weeks. Who's looking for > immortality anyway? > There is also an economic angle. The new > voices need not be paid as much as the > established ones. "If someone can sing for > Rs 5,000, why pay Rs 25,000 or more for > an established voice unless there are truly > vital reasons?" asks a top music director. > Because of this, rates vary even for top > singers. "Daler Mehndi is said to charge Rs > 2 lakh for a song and Sonu Nigam charges > about Rs 30,000," says a music director. > "But if a music director has to work within > a fixed budget, he can pay a singer less than > what he otherwise gets." > > The days are gone when a singer sang > 200 or more songs a year. Many top > singers depend on shows to sustain > their lifestyles. > The flip side is that no singer can > > guarantee a hit as the legends could > do during their heyday. "It is true > > that they guaranteed hits, fabulous singing, lasting value, great > sales and thus substantial profits," admits a music director. > "But we don't need all that > now." > The sales scenario has also > changed. "We have to generate > business with mobile-phone > revenues and downloads," says > Bhushan Kumar, managing > director of the top label TSeries. "Most of today's film > music sells that way." > In fact, it is the whole package which sells and not just the > lyrics or the song alone. > "Where are the lyrics today > anyway?" asks veteran director > Subhash Ghai. "As long as I had > Anand Bakshi, I could depend on > > him to write every colour of song. > Now the music director, lyricist and > choreographer depend for the projec > tion of their work on the visual effects > supervisor." > But those who are in the thick of the > > generational shift disagree with this > assessment. They don't think they are having it easy. "I agree that Lataji and Ashaji > are greats but today's singers have developed a new style of singing," says Neeraj > Sridhar from the band Bombay Vikings. > "Life is on the fast lane and there are more > platforms. The industry is growing bigger > and there's always a room for a new voice. > New voices sound fresher. If 20 songs > are to be sung, different singers have > to sing it. That's why Vishal Dadlani and > Shekhar Ravjiani, the music directors of > Om Shanti Om, chose a list of singers to > sing in the movie. If the voice is rotated, > then none of the songs will sound boring." > "We have some great music happening," > asserts singer Sunidhi Chauhan. "Most of > my contemporaries are fantastic singers." > New singers such as Sunidhi, Kunal > Ganjawala and Shreya Ghoshal did not > have a cakewalk. They all had to struggle to > stay afloat. And have things changed so > much in terms of content and rhythm as it is > made out to be? "Everyone says trends have > changed but show me one completely > Western number that has been a chartbuster," says singer Alka Yagnik. "This is > just a biased perception." > Lyricist Gulzar also points out that the > cult popularity of his songs Kajra re Kajra > re (Bunty Aur Babli) and Beedi Jalaayale > (Omkara) shows that Indian melody and > folk remain at the centre-stage of new > music. > Says a veteran lyricist, "Today a song is as > successful as its run on television, FM et al, > which depends on how much money the > producer or music label can shell out!" > No wonder the success is shortlived. > Kajra re (from Bunty Aur Babli) was a > super hit till Beedi jalaayle happened. Then > came Mast kalander from Heyy Baby followed by Hare Ram Hare Ram from Bhool > Bhulaiya. And now it's mauja mauja from > Jab We Met. > Veteran composer Rajesh Roshan makes a > telling remark by pointing out that changes > in music trends are similar to fashion. Here > today, gone tomorrow. It all boils down to > catchy tunes that we hear on a sleek iPod. > Such singers fail to > deliver the emotions. > Every song has an > ascending emotional > graph. They also do > not have the energy > to sing for five min > utes at a stretch with the right > breath control and simultaneous > attention to all aspects - vocal > throw, melody, rhythm... > ASHA BHONSLE > > Pitch-correction > software can > enhance your voice > quality and so even > my dhobi can > become a singer. > There are established singers who > > should do puja to the computer > everyday because their hearths > burn thanks to it. > SONU NIGAM > > A song like Tum se > hi in Jab We Met > could have been > recorded with an > established singer > like KK. But I chose > Mohit Chauhan, a > talented singer > > from a pop band, and he's done a > damn good job. We have so much > variety today. Why not use it? > PRITAM, music director > > Rahman's price is allegedly Rs 2 to 3 crores, > plus music rights. > Vishal-Shekar's price is allegedly Rs 40 to 50 > lakhs. Also, it is believed that for big > production houses music directors agree for a > lesser amount too. > Rate CARD > ? Most A-list music directors like Anu Malik, > Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar and Pritam get > paid per song and have to shell out money from their > fees to singers, studios and musicians. The rates, > according to a music director, vary from film to film > and from Rs 2-5 lakhs per song. This makes the > music director opt for cheaper or new voices and > limited musicians. > ? Himmesh Reshammiya demands a combined > package of actor-music composer-singer. Figure > speculated to be Rs 75 lakhs. > ? SHANKAR-EHSAAN-LOY have taken sales proceeds of the music of Johnny Gaddaar apart from > fees. > SINGERS > Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik are paid Rs 30,000 > per song. > Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Goshal, Shaan, KK, Udit > Narayan, Kunal Ganjanwala, Alisha Chinai, > Sukhwinder Singh settle for anything Rs 10-20,000 > per song. > Upcomming and non-mainstream voices settle for > anything between Rs 5000- Rs 10,000 per song > (Figures are approximate, vary from film to film) > > Top of the > CHARTS > > Music directors > ? A.R. Rahman > ? Pritam > ? Shankar-Ehsaan Loy > ? Vishal-Shekhar > Playback > Singers: > KK, Kunal Ganjawala, > Shaan, Shreya > Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, > Sukhwinder Singh, > Sunidhi Chauhan, > Mahalakshmi Iyer, > > Richa Sharma, Alisha > Chinai, Javed Ali, > > Rekha Bharadwaj, > Madhushree, Naresh > > Iyer (Rang De > Basanti), Mikha, > Adnan Sami, > > Abhijeet. > > > > > > > Source: Deccan Chronicle/Asian Age >
