Talktime | Shashaa tirupati
She has not only sung the reborn Humma song but also ones in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Punjabi and Konkani. Though she doesn’t know any of these languages, Shashaa tells SHAlINI SAKSENA that her great observation powers nTell us about singing for Half Girlfriend.
This is my second album for Shraddha. My voice blends beautifully with her’s. Working with Mithoon (composer) is phenomenal. In some ways, he is a lot like Rahman sir. He gives you the space to do your own stuff after he has given you a brief and yet does not damage the composition.
How did your journey into Bollywood startIJ
It all started when I heard AR Rahman’s Guru. I was totally taken in by the music and would listen to the songs when I was in school in Canada. It was then that I had decided that I wanted to sing. it is another matter that later, I went on the sing for him.
You left your pre-medical studies...
Yes, I did. In grade XII I topped and with a 96 percentile, got several scholarships. I was working towards a joint major in biochemistry and molecular biology and basically wanted to be a neuro surgeon and was pretty much prepared to study for the next 12 years. But singing was something I always did — learning, listening to a lot of music, performing, teaching, etc. The epiphany came after I heard Jaagey hain der tak and Tere bina from Guru and I remember that I had not changed these to songs from my playlist for six months.
What was your parents reactionIJ
My father was a little more supportive. But yes, it was a bit of a battle to convince them. My mother was not too happy. She told me that education is very expensive and I had scholarship. Who throws that away. I was around 19 and came from an academic family and Dr Shashaa Tirupati was something my mother had set her heart on.
Was it easy to get a breakIJ
Not at all. But I wanted to go things on my own. I didn’t take a penny from my parents. I just drew some of the money from my scholarship and came here. Soon the money ran out and it was tough till I got my break with Coke Studio and AR Rahman was part of it.
Were you rejected a lotIJ
Many times. In fact, a prominent singer told me: ‘Tumhari awaaz kharab hai and should not playback’. I am a very sensitive person and stopped singing for the next three years. But I took to composing since I love music and started co-composing with Tanishk Bagchi. He taught me a lot and we had people had Javed Ali and Mohit Chauhan singing for us. In some ways, it was a blessing in disguise since I came to know a lot about the other side of singing.
Your experience while singing for AR Rahman and Ashutosh Gowarikar.
Recording for him is like going to a temple. When you are with him you should be ready to soak in everything that he says since he is an institution. This experience changed me as a person — in terms of soft skills. As for Mohan Jo Daro, I was supposed to sing Tu Hain but Sanah ended up singing that song. Sarsariya was something that I wanted to sing but Ashutosh Gowarikar wanted a more mature voice. However, Rahman sir wanted to retain my voice for the song and the rest is history.
When you sung the remix of Humma Humma did you think this one too would be a hitIJ
The remix is very different from the original. I was not sure how I would be able to give my best since I was so used to listening to Remo’s version. But I was given a brief — to be sexy and seductive and did my bit. When I heard the final track I was amazed to see how different this one was from the original; nice pepped up as opposed to the remix which is a lot more lounged out. I knew that people would love this one too.
Is it good to do remixesIJ
I am in favour of both. I value originality but if one looks closely, there is some amount of originality in remixes too. I see these songs in a different light — a great way to reintroduce old songs which the younger generation has not heard.
You have sung in other language as well.
It is not as if I know any of those languages. What worked with me was that I am a good listener. When I am in the studio, I am like a baby and follow and replicate what I am told.made it easy