Jubin Nautiyal talks to After Hrs about making it big, giving remixes his individual expression and more
Jubin Nautiyal’s roster of songs in recent times includes a club song Ankh Lad Jaave (LoveYatri), a mushy track Sawarne Lage (Mitron) and a melancholy number Tum Se (Jalebi). Point this out to the singer, and he finds it incredulous himself. “When I moved here, I didn’t think I would be able to sing such different stuff, but Mumbai is making me do things,” he laughs. So, what did he expect out of his career when he relocated to the city from Dehradun in Uttarakhand?
He elaborates, “I tried kickboxing and got a black belt. I did shooting and reached district and national level. I had business and politics as options. I’m the only son, so my life was quite sorted. But the only thing that used to keep me awake at night and also make me go to sleep was music because it brought me peace. This was the only thing that made me happy and I didn’t want to be stuck in a job that didn’t make me happy. Even if I didn’t become as famous as I am today, I would still be doing music.” The vocalist talks about his career, choice of songs and more.
STARTING HIS CAREER
Since Mumbai was the hub of music, coming here was the obvious choice for Jubin. “I started singing scratches and jamming with many composers and that’s how my journey started. It’s been a quick one. I came here and within two years, I had my first song and have never stopped,” he states, adding, “That was possible because I was honest to music. I leave my self outside the studio and rebuild it with each song that I sing. I think that’s why I have managed to sing different kinds of genres.”
REMIXES GALORE
So far, Jubin has rendered a number of remakes of older songs, whether The Humma Song (OK Jaanu), Dil Kya Kare (Kaabil), Gazab Ka Hai Din (Dil Juunglee) or Pehla Nasha Once Again (Kuch Bheege Alfaaz). Even though revisiting, he ensures to give it his individual expression. “I have my own voice, style and tone, which is why I have been able to sing so many successful recreations. I don’t stress myself about how it was sung and how differently it should be done.” He just sings the track like he would if it were an original. While the thought of being compared to the original singer doesn’t bother him, he gets nervous about listeners saying he sang it badly. “Thankfully, I have never been criticised for my singing yet, even if they have disliked the recreation,” he says.
WORKING WITH THE BEST
The Lo Safar (Baaghi 2) crooner considers himself lucky because composers (from established ones like Amit Trivedi and Pritam to the younger lot like Tanishk Bagchi and Arko Pravo Mukherjee) believe in him. “When I tell them that a song can get better, they believe me. Pritam Da would let me give one retake after another of Zindagi Kuch To Bataa Reprise (Bajrangi Bhaijaan) whereas someone else would have asked me to leave the studio,” he explains. He came to Mumbai with a long wish list of composers and has been able to strike off almost every name. Though he hasn’t had releases with the likes of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, AR Rahman or Vishal-Shekhar, he says, “I have sung for almost everyone; just that the songs didn’t release.”
SELECTING SONGS
Before his debut songs Meherbaani (The Shaukeens) and Ek Mulakat (Sonali Cable), Jubin sang 250-odd scratches, for all kinds of composers — big, small, good and terrible. “But now, I am at a stage when I can choose what I sing,” he points out. When it comes to selection, the only criterion for him is that the track has to connect with him. “Whenever I feel that I would like to play the song as a listener over and over again and I like what it says, I take it up. I don’t care if it’s a big or small song or even just a jingle,” he avers.
MORE NON-FILM MUSIC
Jubin’s latest song is Awargi in The Dark Side Of Life-Mumbai City and he is gung-ho about exploring the non-film music space after his song Humnava Mere by Rocky-Shiv became a big hit. “There are thousands of cover versions of the track, so I think I should be trying it more. I’m building on putting out a private album because it seems so magical,” he says.
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 "Jubin Nautiyal")
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