EXCLUSIVE | Shaan: Only a handful of composers can say 'I want to do the entire soundtrack of a film' today

What sets Shaan apart from a number of his contemporary singers and those of the current times is his distinct style and voice. Though, he has proven his versatility  on a number of occasions, I personally like to hear his vice in soft romantic numbers, a space that he finds himself most comfortable and expressive in. The singer, who was missing in action for quite sometime now, is suddenly everywhere. He was first seen in a cameo in Aamir Khan's last release titled Secret Superstar. Then he came up with his very own single - Surilee and he has even returned to our Television screens as one of the coaches in The Voice India - kids, season 2. 

We caught up with Shaan on one fine evening and spoke to him about all things Surilee, the tricks of the trade and the current fads in the music industry.
Here are the excerpts from Shaan's EXCLUSIVE conversation with us:

What prompted you to come up with your single - Surilee?

About a couple of months ago, I started my own channel on YouTube. The point was to connect with the listeners directly because honestly, I can't see much favour coming from the music companies, film producers and music directors. Also, I want to explore the composer in me and create songs that I compose myself. The serial Haasil has come out on the 30th (October), I've done a song for that serial - a recreation of Vaishnav Jan Toh in a modern, more contemporary style. In the meanwhile, I've also become a part of the gaana originals where 12 artists come together and put out a single each and stream it on the gaana app. So, it's been good to see the listeners react directly to my music, my voice, my singing and it's been very positive. 

Where did you all shoot the video for Surilee?

I give complete credit to my friend Iqbal who got the whole team together in 5 days. Even Preetika Rao was very sweet and sporting. She immediately came on board on listening to the story and concept. We shot it in about 2 days, in hot humid and very stinky Madh Island, but you can't tell (smiles). Me and Iqbal did a video together many years ago called Aksar and I intend to do a lot of work with him now as well. 

We hear you very less often these days. Have you become more choosy or is there any other reason?

I honestly don't have an answer. I don't know if it's an 'out of sight, out of mind situation'. I've been busy in creating music, singing and all of that, probably not in the main stage in terms of big films but I've turned to my passion for composing and creating singles. So that is keeping me busy. 

What do you think about so many actors turning singers in the industry?

Why not? Actors can turn singers and singers can turn actors or they can turn producers. You know it's a process. There's no label on a jar that you can only do this. I have sung, I have acted - very unsuccessfully (chuckles) but I have. I've done lyrics, I've composed, I've anchored, I've danced on national Television in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. How can I ever comment on actors singing? I think it's fantastic and if they're singing their songs it comes across truer than someone else singing for them. And while we're talking about actors singing, I have to commend Parineeti Chopra and say that she sang absolutely beautifully, that song (hums) Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin. And it's not an easy song. It's a proper singer's song and she's sung it brilliantly.

(Still from Surilee via YouTube Screengrab)

Your take on the trend of having multiple composers for a single film album?

I think it's a strategy...There was a time when a music director and the director were named before a film would start. The music director, the lyricist and then the director and producer. Today, the composer's name and the lyricist goes behind. On the film's posters you hardly find the composer's name anywhere. Obviously now it's a technical problem if they have four or five composers,it's a long list, toh kya karnewale ho uska?

But frankly if you see any of the big films, where the music has worked, nine out of 10 times it's a single composer film. Whether it's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, it's all of Pritam, if it's Sultan - it's all of Vishal and Shekhar what are the examples of a multiple composer songs working? One Aashiqui-2 may be. So I don't buy that the composers aren't that talented that they can't do an entire soundtrack which they could easily do 10 years ago. And those composers are very much here, you don't need to go for one song here and one song there.

What happens when you do that (go for multiple composers), you totally break the composer as a designated contributor to the film. You diminish the value of that completely. It almost seems like it could be a strategy to make sure that the composers don't have that status that they enjoyed in Bollywood five or 10 years ago. There are just a handful of composers today who can say that 'I want to do the entire soundtrack, or I won't do the film' and most of them are already established composers.

(Still from Surilee via YouTube Screengrab)

These days multiple scratches of a single song are recorded and then none of the singers know whose version will actually make it to the film. What do you think about this fad?

Yeah, I've been hearing about it. But I don't think a situation like multiple singers has happened with me. There have been a few times when I sang the song and someone else sang it and they kept both the versions in the album. Today if some 15 people are made to sing a song, it doesn't make sense to me. These are all fads that are being done today and we, as singers have agreed to do it, may be because they're getting desperate to get the song or also because it's difficult to say no. But there are certain composers who won't do that, I know for a fact. So it's really up to the composer to take a stand and have that sense of casting because a composer, more or less, very much knows who can justify a song.

Sometimes, the producers, actors and music companies say isko bhi try kar lete hain, usko bhi try kar lete hain and because some composers have been doing this, they think that others will too. 

Okay, some rapid fire questions now, Ghazal or Sufi?

Ghazal

Playback singing or Live concerts?

Live concerts

Your dream duet with a singer who's no longer alive would be with whom and why?

It would be with Kishore Kumar because I've always been fascinated by his voice.