<div>Known for his numbers like Badtameez Dil and Daaru Desi, Benny Dayal’s journey in the music industry has not been easy at all. Struggling to get work, the 32-year-old singer was rejected many a times and had to do odd jobs to survive. In a free-wheeling chat with Puja Gupta, Dayal who is up with his next song Ude Dil Befikre for Ranveer Singh starrer Befikre, talks more about his experiences, life and future projects. Excerpts: <br /><br /><div>How has your journey been?</div><div><br /></div><div>My story in the world of music isn’t a cushioned one. The most challenging aspect of my journey was to stay positive inspite of all the hurdles that came my way as I got rejected from studio to studio. An established music director once told me “You will never be a playback singer” and he slammed the door on me. I didn’t retort but I couldn’t sleep for nights and I slipped into depression. But I took a call to shun away all the negativity and only attract positivity into my realm. I have seen the downs so I can value the ups even more. This somewhere made me understand one fact – the more you help others in whatever way you can, the more the universe returns the favour in some form.<br /><br /></div><div>Tell us about your early life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Initially, I did odd jobs like working at a BPO. I was the cultural convenor of Madras Christian College (MCC) and as long as I was playing with my band I felt like a rock star. Being at MCC gave me my stage confidence. After my graduation, I did a diploma in journalism from the same college. But the taste I had of the real world was quite an eyeopener. Every single music director I met had nothing to offer. My father had just had an open-heart surgery and my parents had to shift back to India from the UAE. I couldn’t ask for money or tell them anything. There were days I didn’t have money for rent or to eat three times a day. The one turning point in my life was meeting (A R) Rahman Sir in 2006. I was three days into a new desk job when I got a call from his office. They wanted me to sing harmony later that night. I ended up recording the same night in his studio. <br /><br /></div><div>Tell us more about your song in Befikre?</div><div><br /></div><div>The song Ude Dil Befikre has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar. I am well versed with the language Arabic, and the song also needed a singer who knew the language. It’s a very different song when you compare it with the work I have done in the past. We completed the song in one-and-a-half hours. As a singer, I want people to know that I can do many things with music. I don’t want to be known as someone who can only sing songs like Bang Bang or Badtameez Dil. It gives me a great feeling when I see people’s faces light up to see me singing different types of songs. I don’t want to get stereotyped, so I choose to try something new every time.<br /><br /></div><div>You sing in many languages. How do you manage it?</div><div><br /></div><div>I believe in the universality of music. Music knows no language. I grew up in UAE so Arabic, French, Hindi was part of our curriculum while the other languages I picked up during the course of time. There have been instances where you do a corporate show and you perform for a Korean client and you have to learn a Korean song, I have done that. Recently, Karsh (Kale) was producing an album for the Chinese singer Sa Dingding and I have featured on Malayalam/Chinese collaboration. So yeah, languages have never been a barrier for me. As long as you treat your mind as a child, you can always teach your mind to learn right from the base. <br /><br /></div><div>How difficult it is to sing in a language you are unfamiliar with?</div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, I have an ear for grasping sound so I used to imitate when I was in school. I used to listen and then imitate and because I used to imitate, it was easy for me to sing too. And then I realised that language isn’t much of a problem.<br /><br /></div><div>How would you define your music? </div><div><br /></div><div>Music is the most spiritual thing for me. I get to share my energy with many other musicians everyday. I cherish it everyday. It's a divine feeling and higher than anything else. It is the most healing moment of life. And that will keep me going forever till I die.<br /><br /></div><div>You are known for your quirky fashion sense. How do you perceive fashion? </div><div><br /></div><div>Being sauvé comes to me easy. I have an obsession for it maybe. But for me, style is internal whereas fashion is external. Style is something that comes naturally whereas fashion is inspired from outside.<br /><br /></div><div>What are you working on next?</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm working on my English EP with my band Funktuation and also a series of singles with Dub Sharma. I’ve just been confirmed as one of the four vocal coaches for the singing reality show called Voice India Season 2. </div></div>
<div>Known for his numbers like Badtameez Dil and Daaru Desi, Benny Dayal’s journey in the music industry has not been easy at all. Struggling to get work, the 32-year-old singer was rejected many a times and had to do odd jobs to survive. In a free-wheeling chat with Puja Gupta, Dayal who is up with his next song Ude Dil Befikre for Ranveer Singh starrer Befikre, talks more about his experiences, life and future projects. Excerpts: <br /><br /><div>How has your journey been?</div><div><br /></div><div>My story in the world of music isn’t a cushioned one. The most challenging aspect of my journey was to stay positive inspite of all the hurdles that came my way as I got rejected from studio to studio. An established music director once told me “You will never be a playback singer” and he slammed the door on me. I didn’t retort but I couldn’t sleep for nights and I slipped into depression. But I took a call to shun away all the negativity and only attract positivity into my realm. I have seen the downs so I can value the ups even more. This somewhere made me understand one fact – the more you help others in whatever way you can, the more the universe returns the favour in some form.<br /><br /></div><div>Tell us about your early life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Initially, I did odd jobs like working at a BPO. I was the cultural convenor of Madras Christian College (MCC) and as long as I was playing with my band I felt like a rock star. Being at MCC gave me my stage confidence. After my graduation, I did a diploma in journalism from the same college. But the taste I had of the real world was quite an eyeopener. Every single music director I met had nothing to offer. My father had just had an open-heart surgery and my parents had to shift back to India from the UAE. I couldn’t ask for money or tell them anything. There were days I didn’t have money for rent or to eat three times a day. The one turning point in my life was meeting (A R) Rahman Sir in 2006. I was three days into a new desk job when I got a call from his office. They wanted me to sing harmony later that night. I ended up recording the same night in his studio. <br /><br /></div><div>Tell us more about your song in Befikre?</div><div><br /></div><div>The song Ude Dil Befikre has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar. I am well versed with the language Arabic, and the song also needed a singer who knew the language. It’s a very different song when you compare it with the work I have done in the past. We completed the song in one-and-a-half hours. As a singer, I want people to know that I can do many things with music. I don’t want to be known as someone who can only sing songs like Bang Bang or Badtameez Dil. It gives me a great feeling when I see people’s faces light up to see me singing different types of songs. I don’t want to get stereotyped, so I choose to try something new every time.<br /><br /></div><div>You sing in many languages. How do you manage it?</div><div><br /></div><div>I believe in the universality of music. Music knows no language. I grew up in UAE so Arabic, French, Hindi was part of our curriculum while the other languages I picked up during the course of time. There have been instances where you do a corporate show and you perform for a Korean client and you have to learn a Korean song, I have done that. Recently, Karsh (Kale) was producing an album for the Chinese singer Sa Dingding and I have featured on Malayalam/Chinese collaboration. So yeah, languages have never been a barrier for me. As long as you treat your mind as a child, you can always teach your mind to learn right from the base. <br /><br /></div><div>How difficult it is to sing in a language you are unfamiliar with?</div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, I have an ear for grasping sound so I used to imitate when I was in school. I used to listen and then imitate and because I used to imitate, it was easy for me to sing too. And then I realised that language isn’t much of a problem.<br /><br /></div><div>How would you define your music? </div><div><br /></div><div>Music is the most spiritual thing for me. I get to share my energy with many other musicians everyday. I cherish it everyday. It's a divine feeling and higher than anything else. It is the most healing moment of life. And that will keep me going forever till I die.<br /><br /></div><div>You are known for your quirky fashion sense. How do you perceive fashion? </div><div><br /></div><div>Being sauvé comes to me easy. I have an obsession for it maybe. But for me, style is internal whereas fashion is external. Style is something that comes naturally whereas fashion is inspired from outside.<br /><br /></div><div>What are you working on next?</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm working on my English EP with my band Funktuation and also a series of singles with Dub Sharma. I’ve just been confirmed as one of the four vocal coaches for the singing reality show called Voice India Season 2. </div></div>
