Tactful vocal adaptation

Bollywood talent

You have heard him belt out hits like Maston Ka Jhoond from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Aafaton Ke Parinde from Ishaqzaade, Chanchal Mann Ati Random from Shuddh Desi Romance, Allah Meherban from Ghanchakkar and Harry Is Not A Brahmachari from Shaadi Ke Side Effects. However, a few know about Divya Kumar, the latest singer to have created ripples in the Bollywood music industry.

Meeting the young singer over a cup of coffee at his residence is quite interesting. “Music is in my genes, and I am the third generation in our family to have taken this up as a profession. My grandfather, Pandit Shivram, composed music for many regional films and also for V Shantaram’s films. My father, Bhagwan Shivram, is a musician and has worked with R D Burman, Jatin-Lalit and Himesh Reshammiya. I  accompanied them to live recordings, which have been my greatest learning experience till date,” he says.

His love for music has moved him to become a professional singer. “I have been singing since I was eight. As a kid, I performed for many stage shows. At times, I would think of changing professions, but my mother wanted me to become a singer,” he says. Divya has spent significant time with Kalyanji-Anandji’s troupe and feels that he has learnt a lot. “I have performed with them for many shows. I’m happy that my name is listed along with Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Ali, all of whom are from the Kalyanji-Anandji School of Music. I performed for ‘Little Wonder’ (the name of the group by Kalyanji-Anandji). It has given me confidence to sing in front of a live audience.”

Despite growing up in a musical environment, Divya has had no formal training. He explains, “When I was born, my grandfather was no more. I missed the opportunity of learning from him. But I grew up listening to the 90s music: Jatin-Lalit, Anand Milind, Nadeem Shravan — and witnessed the transformation in compositions. I have listened to all singers from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Kailash Kher to Sukhvinder Singh. I have always followed one rule — listening and learning. And, after a long struggle and no luck with reality shows, I assisted the composer duo, Sachin-Jigar.”

Divya got his first break in the film Tootiya Dil. “Unfortunately, my first song didn’t get the attention it deserved, but luckily, composer Amit Trivedi heard my song and called me to sing for Ishaqzaade. He believed in me and I am grateful to him.” Post-Ishaqzaade, he has seen good days. But the turning point of Divya’s career has to be his song in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Divya has already lent his voice to De Ghumake, the 2011 cricket world cup anthem, with Shankar Mahadevan. Divya recalls the brief when he was called to sing Maston Ka Jhoond. It needed a voice with bursts of energy, as Punjabis are known for it. “I followed the instructions! I got the correct Punjabi accent. I am happy that the song and the film were hits.”

Talking about today’s music scenario, Divya observes, “You don’t need to match the hero’s voice to get a song. There is a song for every type of voice. I met Arijit Singh once and told him how much I adore his singing style. We are great friends too.”So, what does Divya dream of? “I’m happy that I have been successful in fulfilling my mother’s dream. I have two wishes — to sing for the great A R Rahman, and the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan.”