Sonu Nigam’s sister Teesha, who started her career as a playback singer in the movie Singh Saab The Great, speaks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about her debut in a single’s video & how she ended up acting in it as well
Tell us about this single track — Katna Nai.
I had heard this song a couple of months back, it is a song by Sajjad Ali. In fact, my brother Sonu Nigam and I were sitting and he made me listen to it. I was taken in by it instantly. It is a very serious song musically. I just knew that I had to come up with my own version of it. I spoke about it with my brother and decided to go ahead with it. It was nice that Sajjad gave his nod and the end result is a single’s video.
The reason why you chose this particular song.
like I mentioned, it is a serious song. I wanted to show that I could sing. Pop and other kind of genres can wait; there is still time for it. But this song is something where I can show to the industry and people at large that I can sing.
Where there any apprehensions while doing the video shootIJ
This song is not only my debut as an independent sing but also my debut as an actor. When I decided to go ahead with the song, I had thought I would take some actors and shoot. But it was my father, Agam Nigam, who convinced me to do the acting as well. I was a little apprehensive but went ahead with it because I trust my father’s advise. Through the song, a story unfolds and I play a character. Here, a special mention for the director of the video Tejpas Dattani . He is one brilliant video director. We had a great chemistry while shooting. So much so that we managed to complete it in one day. Since the end product was so good, there were no apprehensions.
Does this mean that you sit with your brother and father to discuss your career.
Not at all. It is not mandatory. It is just that at that time my brother was free and he was able give me his time and was there with me in the studio me dubbing. After all he was the one who introduced me to the song. As for my father, he is an artist so not that I go to him for everything that I do but I know he is there for any guidance that I need.
Is there pressure on you because you are Sonu Nigam’s sisterIJ
Things happen at a particular time and in the fashion that they are meant to take place. There are pros and cons to everything. I am blessed to have him as a brother; he is a great artist. But I would have found myself at this platform even if I was not his sister. I firmly believe in destiny and karma.
Did you always want to singIJ
Singing is not like a family business. But I grew up with artists around me. I was fascinated with music. I am a very relaxed and chilled out kind of person. When I would sing, my father would encourage me and say that I sang very well. So I always knew that I wanted to sing and am self trained.
You said you chose this song because it is serious and has depth. So are you going to sing these kinds of songsIJ
Not at all. I chose this as my first song because I wanted people to realise that I could sing. The subsequent numbers are really peppy. I don’t want to get type-cast as a singer. I am a versatile singer and want to sing all songs of all genres.
Why is there no melody or meaning in the lyrics todayIJ
I would not say that there is no melody. If you watch movies of Vishal Bharadwaj or listen to music of directors like AR Rehman, Amit Trivedi, Pritam, etc you will see the difference. They are doing great work. But sometimes, the script of the film demands a certain kind of music. But even today, there are melodious songs if the film demands it. If there is an item number, the song will be peppy. Also, the audience today is very open and likes to to different kind of songs since the entertainment is so unpredictable. Each era has a trend and the artist needs to upgrade himself.
Where do you go from hereIJ
I have already finished the other two videos; they are singles too but are very different from the first. I really wanted to have fun with these numbers and have just done that. But right now, I don’t have anything planned.
What about singing with Sonu Nigam and what does he think of your videoIJ
I have sung a couple of Telugu songs with him. I would love to sing with other artists as well. As for the video, he was rather pleased with the end result and said it was good.