Tell us something about your formal education in
music. Did you take taalim in diverse genres? Who
was your guru?
I started learning the piano at a tender age of eight from
talented musicians like Ruma Majumdar, Kersi Gazdar,
Xavier Pinto, Yvonne Heredia, Xavier Fernandes, Benny and
Joy sir. They’ve all been wonderful teachers and each of them
taught me something new to absorb and adapt to! I finished my
Trinity College of London course in piano, which was all about
western classical music — the likes of Beethoven, Mozart,
Bach, Schubert, et al. But soon I got more and more attracted
towards rock, RnB (Rhythm and Blues), pop and country
music during my growing-up years. My childhood buddy Krish
still makes me listen to a lot of varied genres of music and I am
kind of open to everything and anything that my hands can lay
upon. So my routine has been to listen attentively and soak in
like a sponge right from the start!
I never got trained to produce EDM (electronic dance music)
and Dubstep that I’m usually known for. For instance,
numbers like ‘Sooraj Dooba Hain’, ‘Chal Wahan Jaate Hain’,
‘Kar Gayi Chull’, ‘Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main — all have the
influence of electronic dance music. Composing a melody was
something I think I got naturally. It was in my genes and I
had grown up in an environment with a continuous exposure
to music sittings and live recordings. My jazz and chord
progression lessons came from my teacher Benny, who is a
wonderful human being and a great master to boot.
Can you trace back your growing up years as siblings
under the same roof?
Armaan and I were each other’s support system since
childhood. Dad and mom went through so much of struggle
in life together, that both ensured to make ends meet and yet
retain that smile on our faces. Mom would do tuitions and
dad did everything possible to just put food on the table. We
were not the kids of a super successful father but then what
we are today is because of our humble, sweet parents and their
healthy upbringing so as to say.
My father never saw the success he deserved and even
though he never showed us he was down, he always made
sure that it never affected us. He fought alone with his own
internal strife and depression and took us out on the best of
trips to cheer up our mood, even if it meant losing out money
and work. Armaan and I realised it at the very onset of our
childhood that things would be getting rough and we need
to buck up diligently. So you may say, that as kids we were
very understanding and never grumbled with unreasonable
demands. Mom was brutally honest and thank God for that.
She never painted a rosy, unrealistic picture before our eyes
about our status. Instead she told us in black and white that we
weren’t rich and that we must work harder to earn our bread
and butter.
I also remember telling my dad after the 10th grade that
‘don’t you worry, I’m leaving home now with my equipment
to venture out, learn the ropes of this industry and stand
up for myself’. Both of us brothers I may recall would spend
most of our times in the studios and simultaneously pursued
studies seriously, as that was something we had to manage
with full efforts since mom came from a very astute academic
background.
Were you and Armaan both naughty kids joined at the
hips, having loads of fun and being partners in crime?
Of course, we have had our fun times too. We went swimming
on the weekends, played across sandy beaches, enrolled for
music classes together and so on. Those were some wonderful
days it seems as I reflect back. At that time, my only sounding
board was my brother and even though he was a mama’s boy,
he kept most of my secrets well, unless he wanted revenge for
some toy I broke of his or a slap that was too hard for him to
digest, ha-ha!
How did you convince Bollywood bhaijaan Salman
Khan to come up with a version of the Hero title track
in his own signature style?
I never had to cajole or persuade h im for the song. I had
composed the song during my Jai Ho stint, when I read
somewhere that Hero is being made. I dunno why I thought of
making a title-song on such a non-romantic word — ‘Hero’. But
the way it came about was indeed beautiful. I couldn’t believe
what had conjured up but I was pretty much sure that it would
be somewhat special and strike a chord. Luckily, Salman sir
felt ditto. I mean he loved it so much to my pleasant surprise,
that he told me “let’s keep Armaan’s version in the film
and record a second edition” in his voice as a “promotional
number”.
You know, before this touching ‘Main Hoon Hero Tera’ track
came out, I was only offered dance numbers to score and no
one ever thought that I could be a serious composer as well,
who is really capable of churning out a simple heart-melting
romantic ballad. So it’s solely because of Salman sir that I got a
scope to showcase a different side of my creativity. This break
actually brought about a turning point in my career. So am
amply indebted to him for unearthing the hidden potential in
me.
In the wake of many singer-composer-songwriters
making a mark in mainstream music these days, did
it ever occur to you Amaal, to put your words to your
thoughts and pen down the lyrics of the tracks while
scoring their notes?
I’m glad that more and more singer-songwriters are coming
into the scene. It’s a good advantage if an artiste can write,
compose and sing. Songmaking is after all a multitasking
craft involving many disciplines of art. You see, the
industry is more open than it ever was. Thus it pays off to
be a multifaceted musician around. Six years ago, when I
commenced proposing my ideas to a couple of directors and
producers, I was heavily discouraged and told not to compose
as I was too young in their estimates. Today it no longer really
matters at what age you are setting out to take the world by
storm. People don’t bother at all or care much about who you
are and what you’ve acquired so far. It’s what you have now
and a good song is anytime welcomed with open arms by all
labels and producers alike. I’ve penned Armaan’s debut single
‘Leja Zakhm Tere’, and I got a lot of ‘likes’ both as a composer
and lyricist for that song.
Do you enjoy female attention? How do you handle
crazy fans...did you ever come across any bizarre
request?
Well firstly, I don’t agree with the word “crazy”. My fans and
supporters love my music, love me for who I am, for the way
I think and how I have a voice of my own. They give me their
honest feedback, and that helps me comprehend the audience-
profiles and tap their pulse better. As artistes, we live for the
appreciation of our work and always yearn for love. As far as
female attention is concerned, yeah, I do enjoy it (blushes!).
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
11