'To me melody and lyrics gel together'

Despite the heat, the young and enthusiastic singer Arijit Singh loved every bit of his visit to the Capital recently. With Aashiqui 2’s release and the launch of his song Dilli wali girlfriend (in Ranbir and Deepika starrer Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) the playback singer is on a high.

Going back to 2005, when Arijit decided to step out of Murshidabad, and establish himself as a singer, reality show Fame Gurukul came to his rescue. “After that I stayed back in Mumbai to try my luck and patiently handled the situation. A lot of people were trying to get into playback singing then. All singers dream of being in Bollywood but that doesn’t happen very easily. So you have to be patient and calm and fight slowly and cut through,” says Arijit as if sharing his success mantra.

Lady luck has been on his side and he admits that he, “didn’t have to struggle much. I was not desperate but focused and kept telling myself that you have to wait and it will come.” Six years down, he finally made his debut in Bollywood playback singing with the song Phir Mohabbat in Murder 2.

“I started singing at a very young age and always wanted to become a musician and singer but not exactly in Bollywood because I was not confident enough to think of myself as a playback singer,” confesses the crooner who has sung for movies like Cocktail, Barfi! and Shanghai. What gave him confidence was his training in Indian classical music. “Classical is my base and I couldn’t have done good things
without it.”

He still continues his riyaaz which he thinks is, “not an addiction like a gym session but its a routine that falls into place. Indian classical music is like trance, and divine. Your voice gets warmed up and flexible and all the techniques and forms fall into place, if you practice this genre.”

His assistance to Pritam also helped him become more focused. “Pritam didn’t say anything in particular but in the process I realised he doesn’t worry too much. He just focu­ses on his work and I doubt if anyone else can do so many films in a year. Quality and quantity come at a pace with Pritam and I would like to be as focused as him.”

His schedule is no less busy than his mentor’s though. Infact, he gets to prepare for a song, just before its recording! “Earlier people used to get the song a month for practice. Now so many songs are being recorded at a time that even though I listen to every new song sent to me, by the time I reach the studio, I have forgotten it and have to listen to it again,” he shares laughingly and adds that it is a must for him to enjoy the melody and lyrics.

“Somehow, it might be a wrong way to work but I understand melody more. To me the melody and lyrics of a song gel together. But it is only when the melody is heard with a lot of feel, that it connects with the lyrics. That is the beauty of music!”
In love with his current job, he is in no hurry to become a music director. “I compose for myself but I am not up for it right now. Music direction is a different game. Its crazy to watch Pritam do it all.” he signs off.