28-year-old Amit Mishra who shot to fame with his song Bulleya from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil talks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about his journey thus far

Tell us about your musical journey.

I was part my school choir. That was the starting  stage for me. I grew up listening to a lot of Bollywood music. My mother was found of listening to songs of Mukeshji, Kishore Da, Rafi sahab, lataji and Ashaji. That was pretty much the mahaul at home in lucknow. In school, I took music as an optional subject. I was learning light music — sugam sangeet. While doing graduation, I studied music for four years as well. I was also part of a band as a vocalist. Then came Idea Rocks India 2009, a reality show on Colors, which was aired on Colors. That meant that I moved to Mumbai and started working in studios.

Was Bollywood always on the cardsIJ

Though I was doing a lot independent and non-filmi music to begin with and if somebody would have asked if I would move to Bollywood and do playback, I would have said: ‘let me move to Mumbai first’. Back then, 15 years back, to be on stage was an addiction. We were one of the best band’s from my city. When we cracked the reality show, I thought — what nextIJ My favourite music director is Pritam Chakraborty. I grew up listening to his compositions. So I figured that I needed to go for playback. It was not as if I wanted to be a playback singer, I just wanted to be a singer — a hero.

Are you still with the bandIJ

Yes, a couple of people who could shift, we work together. We are now a team. Our drummer is the same. The same name is working but under AM live, that’s how we promote it.

You have been singing for long. How important to get a hitIJ

A hit song makes sure that you work even harder, it makes one more responsible. Before Bulleya, I was working for eight hours but now I work for 16 hours. Of course, there is a monetary benefit but there is motivation as well. A hit makes us more busy, our talent increases since I feel that I need to maintain that level of excellence.

Don’t you think that it is unfortunate that one has to wait for that one hit despite being in the industry for so longIJ

It is not unfortunate. It is all about the responsibility and how you approach it. It is about timing. When a singer takes on a project, he doesn’t think of a hit. He just thinks of how best he can deliver what is expected of him. When I got Bulleya, I was not thinking whether it would be a hit but the fact that I would be working with Pritam.

Is there any particular song that is easy to sing or each has its own challengesIJ

Thank you for asking this question. Each song comes with its challenges. Sometimes, an easy song takes a long time to perfect because it may need a certain kind of energy. Other times, a tough song can be dubbed in a few hours. It all depends on the team that one is working for.

Is there any particular actor you would like to sing forIJ

I would love to sing for Ranbir Kapoor again. I would love to sing for Varun Dhawan and Shahid Kapoor as well. I should thank the media for making a wish of mine come true. In one of the interviews, I had mentioned that I would love to sing for Ajay Devgn. luckily, I got that opportunity in Golmaal Again. I am not sure whether he read that interview, but I have been his fan since his Phool Aur Kante days. I would also like to sing for Hrithik Roshan.

Any particular composers you would like to work withIJ

I have a huge list. I would love to work AR Rahman sahab, Clinton Cerejo, Salim-Sulaiman and Vishal-Shekhar. Of course, Pritam Da multiplied 10 times for the next 100 years. It is just great to work with him.

What does success mean to youIJ

Fame and money are endless but somewhere if I can achieve the heights that any vocalist can reach. If I can replicate the level of energy that was there when I sang Bulleya for the next 50 years that would be a pure success for me.