He is one of the frontline playback singers of the millennium - and advertisement his hits would absorb too abundant space. But Shaan says that playback singing, in the truest sense, seems to be traveling out of fashion

Till 2008, you were appealing abounding in films. Accept you carefully scaled down your playback work?
The endure big bureaucracy blur for which I accept articulate is Dostana for which I rendered Kuchh kam.

Before that, I had films like Race, Kismet Konnection, Love Story 2050, Drona and several songs in Ek Vivaah...Aisa Bhi. But trends are changing. Today, music admiral and filmmakers are carefully not affecting the approved choir like KK, Kunal Ganjawala, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayanji and me.

Do you see this as a casual appearance or a new, abiding scenario?
I don't know. As continued as anybody out there is happy, it will last. But if this trend is prolonged, we will account because by that time we will no best abide approved singers! (Laughs)On the additional side, we are seeing a few nice melodies and a part-revival in lyrics that accept now gone above pyar, dil and diwana.

Do you absolutely see a awakening of lyrics? There is alone a lot of English and Punjabi and around no new thoughts or depth.
On reflection, yes, I accede with you that it is added about addition and acute word-play rather than absolute advance or added substance. (Smiles wryly)

How abundant has this afflicted you personally?
For me, it's a nice, airy appearance - and I am still recording something every day. A lot of my plan is with new and nameless music admiral and for me that translates as a lot added amplitude and abandon as they are actual acceptant to my inputs about lyrics, music, articulate nuances and so on.

You accept been consistently accepted and even admired by music admiral as a accompanist who gives artistic inputs to your songs.
I anticipate that a accompanist accept to action his honest inputs in a absolute way. For one, I accept to accumulate myself beginning and non-repetitious. For another, already a song is done, it's done, so if I can advance advance to any specific aspect, why shouldn't I do so afore the song takes appearance for posterity?

Your ascertainment about approved playback singers getting abhorred is bang-on. What do you anticipate about anybody from actors, pop singers and raw choir to music admiral themselves added adverse the microphone?
(Shrugs) I do not wish to complete as if grapes are acerb for me. But I sometimes feel that the era of playback singing should appear to an end. Softwares that ensure that actors complete absolute accomplish even stars assume altogether in sur - not just actuality but aswell in Hollywood. Remember that the playback arrangement began because actors could not sing!! Today, music admiral are even singing for anniversary other. Maybe they are activity the compression that acknowledgment to stage-shows getting on the rise, a song is accepted by either the amateur or the accompanist and not as their creations! Yes, I am blessed that today's composers are absolutely accompany with anniversary other, but let's face it, playback singing is a specialised job with a lot of anticipation accustomed to a song, afar from the abrupt from the song's creators!

Maybe it's all about song-budgets?
I don't anticipate so. The composers who are singing themselves are all big names, so such constraints are unlikely. Besides, how abundant do we singers allegation anyway? No, I see this as a specific trend.

Okay, playback singing, we concur, is a specialised job. What abroad do you accept to say?
A blur song, to me, is an announcement of the affections of a appearance in a situation. Therefore it should blow the heart. The appropriate nuances should be there and that requires gaayaki. Look at a lot of Jatin-Lalit's songs, for example, in the '90s - they had these qualities, the singers were casting in the appropriate address and the songs were so simple that you could accept removed all the instruments and still admired the vocals and the tunes. To me, any anatomy of art - including balladry and music - should by analogue be about adorableness and should reflect it. These qualities cannot be overlooked, but they are getting sidetracked. There are so abounding alarming areas as well.

Explain.
We are accepting choir who accept awful diction. If able delivery has to be dispensed with, it can be done in an aberrant case dictated by appearance or situation, not as a norm! Agar ucchaaran theek nahin hai to hum gaane ko samajh hi nahin paayenge (We cannot accept the words if the accentuation is incorrect)! Which is what is accident too frequently nowadays, and anybody is getting encouraged because a few such songs plan big-time, or are said to accept done so because they are answer on television and radio! There is no accomplishment to actual this, because no one cares! Another breadth of agitation is that besura singing is abandoned or begin "cute" and excuses like 'natural raw voice' and 'novelty' are given. Obviously, the added careful humans use pitch-correction software for these affectionate of voices. So if singers like us are recording and acquisition ourselves amiss at points, the music admiral are aggressive to pitch-correction for us, because they feel we are better! But if pitch-correction can advice acceptable singers complete even better, I feel that it should be used!

What about adequacy of articulation to actor?
Again by definition, playback agency a articulation that seems to be advancing from an actor's mouth! I feel alarm if I apprehend or apprehend of anyone adage proudly, "Things accept opened up now! A articulation charge not bout the actor!" I acquisition it illogical. Almost a decade ago, I had recorded Toone mujhe pehchaana nahin for Ajay Devgan in Raju Chacha. But if I watched the film, I was aghast! I realised that my attenuate articulation wasn't suiting Ajay at all! From that time, I accept consistently fabricated a appropriate accomplishment - whenever I apperceive which amateur the song will go on awning - to attune my voice. I accept articulate for Ajay in some songs after and you can see the after-effects in those songs, like in Masti.
I anticipate that this is not an "opening up" but an indifferent, simple way out!

True. Sometimes even the compositions do not fit the affection of the corresponding song.
You said it - and some of these songs are superhits !! It's bizarre. I anticipate that assertive basal fundamentals should not be afflicted just for the account of change.

Do you anticipate that if they had their way, they would change the adjustment of the alphabet and numbers just to change something!
(Laughs) Yes. There is this contempo soundtrack that has fabricated a lot of after-effects forth with the blur - but it had aggregate amiss with it but worked! Moreover, a lot of acceptable playback singers are versatile, but today, if you are an all-rounder and acquaint the fact, you could be in abundant trouble, because the charge today is of singers, composers and lyricists who alone accept a specific forte!

How accept you acclimatized to this hopefully-transient scenario?
Well, I accept never said things like, "Singing is my bloodline, so I breathe music, reside music or abide alone for music!" So all this has accustomed me the befalling to try out added avenues of my personality, like freaking out on a television appearance that has annihilation to do with music. The blueprint will consistently be downward, which is why the boilerplate song of yore will consistently be the masterpiece of today! As ball gets broader, all this is apprenticed to appear and one accept to be able for it. But yes, blur music and playback singing automatically accept assertive prerequisites and it's not nice to apperceive that those are getting defiled.