Daler Mehndi has been an integral part of the indie-pop and Bollywood music scene but the singer is not happy with the quality of songs being churned out today.
The 49-year-old Punjabi singer says the usage of cuss words and poor quality of music disappoints him.
"These days, musicians add a portion of rap, some cuss words, weird lyrics and a western touch saying this is what sells. Music is losing its purity. When we started, we used to spend lakhs on making music videos and a lot of time on thinking about the theme.
"These days people make videos through their iphones and put it on the internet. This is not how it should be. There is no quality," Mehndi told PTI.
The "Bolo Tara Ra Ra" singer says he does not like the idea of objectifying women in songs.
"In my albums, I never had songs in which I said I want to drink, party or objectified the beauty of a woman. I stayed away from all these things."
Mehndi, however, says he has no problem with young musicians and just expects them to learn music before venturing in the field.
"I don't have any problem with the music, people still work very hard. But we need to keep a check on our lyrics and we should not put unnecessary music or beats. People lack that actual knowledge of music.
"We have learned singing since childhood. I was singing ghazals for the initial 10 years of my career. Now the singers, who don't know how to sing, have become music directors. There is a long queue. Likes on Youtube don't not make one a good singer."
Mehndi may have a huge fan-following and filmmakers love to have him on board, but the singer doesn't croon for a lot of Bollywood movies and mostly collaborates with director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
The duo, in past have worked together in "Rang De Basanti" and "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag," and their latest collaboration is "Mirzya".
Mehndi says he likes the hard work Mehra puts in while creating the music for his film.
"I like working with Mehra, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Gulzar because whatever music they create, it has some message. The songs are such that we can sit with our family and listen to them.
"The music scene is getting so spoiled in terms of lyrics these days that I don't feel like working much in films. When songs like 'Mirzya' come to me, I feel privileged to get attached to it. One needs courage to create the story of Mirza Sahibaan. And only a person like Gulzar can pen their love story."
The singer has also given his voice to the title track of Aamir Khan starrer "Dangal". He will soon release a single with Mika. The duo have already shot the music video for the same.
The 49-year-old Punjabi singer says the usage of cuss words and poor quality of music disappoints him.
"These days, musicians add a portion of rap, some cuss words, weird lyrics and a western touch saying this is what sells. Music is losing its purity. When we started, we used to spend lakhs on making music videos and a lot of time on thinking about the theme.
"These days people make videos through their iphones and put it on the internet. This is not how it should be. There is no quality," Mehndi told PTI.
The "Bolo Tara Ra Ra" singer says he does not like the idea of objectifying women in songs.
"In my albums, I never had songs in which I said I want to drink, party or objectified the beauty of a woman. I stayed away from all these things."
Mehndi, however, says he has no problem with young musicians and just expects them to learn music before venturing in the field.
"I don't have any problem with the music, people still work very hard. But we need to keep a check on our lyrics and we should not put unnecessary music or beats. People lack that actual knowledge of music.
"We have learned singing since childhood. I was singing ghazals for the initial 10 years of my career. Now the singers, who don't know how to sing, have become music directors. There is a long queue. Likes on Youtube don't not make one a good singer."
Mehndi may have a huge fan-following and filmmakers love to have him on board, but the singer doesn't croon for a lot of Bollywood movies and mostly collaborates with director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
The duo, in past have worked together in "Rang De Basanti" and "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag," and their latest collaboration is "Mirzya".
Mehndi says he likes the hard work Mehra puts in while creating the music for his film.
"I like working with Mehra, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Gulzar because whatever music they create, it has some message. The songs are such that we can sit with our family and listen to them.
"The music scene is getting so spoiled in terms of lyrics these days that I don't feel like working much in films. When songs like 'Mirzya' come to me, I feel privileged to get attached to it. One needs courage to create the story of Mirza Sahibaan. And only a person like Gulzar can pen their love story."
The singer has also given his voice to the title track of Aamir Khan starrer "Dangal". He will soon release a single with Mika. The duo have already shot the music video for the same.
