Talktime| Usha Uthup
She needs no introduction as a singer of difference. After making you groove to her songs for decades, the grand old lady of heavy vocals, Uthup has taken to performing live for social causes. She talks to Sangeeta Yadav about the stories behind her songs
What has made you turn to charity showsIJ
I like to use my talent to give back to the society. More than the responsibility, I feel the necessity to do it. Recently, I appeared on KBC and also performed live for Genesis Foundation’s Rhythm and Blues Festival to raise funds for the treatment of critically ill under-privileged children with heart disorders. All these opportunities are a great way for me to keep evolving and staying relevant.
Being an untrained singer, was it tough for you to enter BollywoodIJ
I never start off thinking I will be a Bollywood playback singer. I am a 100 per cent live stage singer, performer and entertainer and would love to do this for a lifetime. I started off as a nightclub singer and did concerts and live shows which I am still doing. I was not into any kind of competition with the biggies. I remember in 1969, Hare Rama Hare Krishna happened because I was singing live at a nightclub in Delhi and there was Dev Anand sahab, RD Burman and many others who had come to listen to me. They roped me to sing in this movie. Whatever chances I got to sing in the films is because I was a live singer. Whatever has come to me by way of Bollywood has been a bonus.
Can you recall some of the stories behind each of your songsIJ
Songs like Hari Om Hari, Rambha Ho, Darling, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Koi Yaha Aaha Naache Naache and many others have a story to them. But one song that is my lifeline is Jeete Hai Shaan Se. Jo bhi kiya hamne kiya shaan se, warna nahi kiya. That is because nobody ever expected to look like me and with a voice like mine to ever get an opportunity to sing in Bollywood. The world was full of misconception that all the good girls must have a high pitched voice and all the bad girls sound like me which is a heavy bass voice. But now all that has changed and I am very happy in the space I am in.
How did your debut song One Two Cha Cha Cha happenIJ
This song happened to me because there is a situation in the film for which the producer of Shalimaar, Krishna Shah, after listening to me sing in a nightclub, felt that my voice would fit perfectly. RD Burman called me to sing this song. There were many portions of the song which Pancham Da asked me to sing the way I like. There is a portion where I am say: ‘Mr Naidu, gir mat jana, yaha tumhe kal bhi hai aana. Hey Naidu’. Many people asked me why did I use the name NaiduIJ I had a friend called Saroj in Koch and I used to call her Naidu so I wanted to use Naidu in the song and that thing really clicked.
What about Ramba HoIJ
The thing that became a trend after this song was the use of electronic repeats like Ramba Ho... ho... ho.. ho... Before Bhappi lahiri, nobody else had ever done a repeat in electronic form. It happened for the first time for Rambai Ho. I remember vividly how this guy who was doing the sound trying to adjust the repeat of Ramba Ho and at one point it went to fast forward and sounded like a cat cry or very slow sounding like a cow mourning (laughs). It took some time to get the exact beat.
What is the reason behind you not judging in a reality shows these daysIJ
I hate the word judge because I think nobody has the authority to judge another person. I am totally non-judgmental. Rather, I am a guide and a friend and would love to share my experiences and 48 years of knowledge. I know stagecraft better than I know singing. Moreover, I did Bharat Ki Shaan in 2012. It is that not being out of sight is out of mind and I would love to be a part of the reality show. Being in Kolkata, the reality show's in Mumbai might look for someone who is Mumbai based.
What is your take on the trend of remixing classic songsIJ
It is a great trend because all those wonderful tracks and melodies would have been totally forgotten and lost to our younger generation. Though many artists say that this trend corrupts the song itself, being a compulsive optimist, I only see the good side. I believe music like life is cycling everything comes back in full circle.
What is your take on budding singers considering Bollywood as the final destinationIJ
It is sad because there is much more to Bollywood. You have to be a live performer and entertainer. Moreover, it is not about how good or bad a singer you are but how original a singer you are. That is 100 per cent true. I never copied anybody and that is the reason why I am still here. So my advice to the younger singers would be to believe in yourself, be dedicated and 100 per cent honest. If you are not honest on stage, it doesn’t work or last long.