‘Singers must be flexible, punctual to stay relevant’

Playback singer Chaitra H G, who shot to fame with Kannada songs like ‘Huduga Huduga’, ‘Bidu Bidu Kaddu Kaddu’, ‘Bangari Yare Nee Bulbul’ and other super hits, reached the milestone of 1,000 songs through ‘Na Maralabeku’ from the upcoming film ‘Thurthu Nirgamana’. The film is set to release next Friday.

In an interview with Showtime, she spoke about her milestone, and about her award-winning songs and collaborations. Excerpts:

Congratulations on the milestone. How special is it?

It has been 23 years since I started my professional singing career and have sung 1,000 songs. It feels surreal and I am proud of my achievement. I believe it is just another beginning from here.

Tell us about ‘Na Maralabeku’?

Dheerendra Doss is the music director and the song’s lyrics are penned by Jayanth Kaikini. The lines are thought-provoking and people will find it relatable. It gives a meaning to those looking for solutions to their problems. This is a duet song with Supriyaa Ram. Usually, duets are romantic but this is different. The song has a unique musicality and sounds like idioms or electronic digital music. There is a blend of a local and international feel.

How did you get into films?

I sang my first song for the film ‘Beda Krishna Ranginata’ (1994) when I was 8. V Manohar was the music director. Gurukiran, who was assisting Manohar, told me to sing the song ‘Kogileye Kogileye’, a duet song along with Jaggesh. I sang for cassettes, devotional and private albums. I got my first break for Darshan’s ‘Bhagawan’ in 2003. Rajesh Ramanath was the music director.

You have had some memorable collaborations...

I have worked with popular musicians like Ricky Kej and Tyler Bates. I was a part of Ricky’s 2015 Grammy award-winning album ‘Winds of Samsara’. I was also a part of his recent album ‘Divine Tides’ which won the second Grammy. I have worked with major Kannada music composers like Hamsalekha, Gurukiran, RP Patnaik, V Harikrishna, Arjun Janya, and Sadhu Kokila. In other languages, I have sung for Mani Sharma, and Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Which is your favourite among your songs?

‘Huduga Huduga’ from 'Amrithadhare' (2005), which introduced me to the masses, is one that defined my career. People earlier thought that only singers from Bombay could sing a song like this but we broke that perception. I should thank music composers Mano Murthy and Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar for the lyrics. Ramya acted so brilliantly that it feels as though she has sung the song. Even after 17 years, people demand me to sing this song in my shows.

What should singers do to stay relevant?

Nowadays, singers disappear after singing five or 10 songs. They should first understand music and grasp what music directors say during recording. Singers should be flexible, punctual and committed to the song. On some occasions, I sang two to three songs in a day. Nowadays, there are auto tunes and singers have become casual. But this doesn’t define a true artiste. We used to repeat a line 50-100 times to achieve perfection.