Assamese singer Zubeen Garg shot to fame instantly after he crooned Ya Ali in Gangster. There has been no looking back for Garg who believes he can create music out of nothing. Deebashree Mohanty chats him up

It is difficult for anyone to find a foothold in Bollywood, but things were different for Zubeen Garg who had to struggle for 40 days just to meet  a music director for a couple of minutes!

“Those days were tough and I don’t know how I managed. life has not been easy but I have tried to make the most of what I could. I have many mentors who have guided me in the right direction,” Garg who is in Mumbai to release his first Hindi solo album Pakeeza, tells you. He has acted in the album with a Tawang-based model.

“The shoot was an experience I will always cherish. I was facing the camera for the first time and so was nervous. Initially, I had to break often to get my stance right. But when I did, I was good at it,” Garg says.

Apart from his heavy yet romantic voice, Garg also has  the versatilty factor going for him. Having sung in 30 different languages, Garg says, he has learnt a lot. “I love singing for Tamil and Telugu films. It is not difficult at all. All you need is confidence and work on your accent. It took me a week to get my south Indian accent in place and since then I have been lending my voice to top stars down south. It is a challenge but I love doing it,” the singer tells you.

As for his album, Garg is thrilled about it’s launch in India. The compositions are unique — folk, jazz and contemporary, all in one. “There are many songs from the album that are close to my heart but the title track has special relevance. It has a very deep inner meaning,” Garg says, not willing to reveal more for now. His album has already found many takers and people who have heard his rendition swear by it.

Garg, however, doesn’t want to be swayed by all the praise he has received.

“The comments are all positive and I am happy that people have appreciated my style of singing. But it is still early days in my album career and I am hoping to make this my forte. My fingers are crossed for the India release,” Garg says.

Pakeezacomprises eight  songs which encapsulate different moods. His first Assamese Album Anamika became a superhit and he became a rage in Assam. He continues to be a top-charter there. He has sung more than 15,000 songs in various languages including Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Oriya and others.

Garg got national recognition with his Bollywood hit Ya Ali which won him the GIFA Award and Stardust Award for  Best Singer.

He was also bestowed the National Award for the Best Music Director in the non-film music category in 2009.

After that, Zubeen has sung almost 100 songs in Bollywood, and to great applause.