She started her career at the young age of 9. Her life choices were always unusual. She calls herself a “rebel” and today is the proud holder of the Guinness World Record for the most recorded songs by an artist. FACE Magazine’s Art Editor, Madhuri Bhaduri had the honour to chat with the voice that needs absolutely no introduction – legendary singer Asha Bhosle
1.What was the most inspiring part of your journey as an artist?
I suppose my interaction with several talented musicians, singers, composers and lyricists has been the most inspiring part of my journey as a singer and as an artist. Each time I interacted with my talented colleagues, I took away a part of them and added their teachings into my repertoire. I sincerely believe that man is never a master and remains a student all his life and even today I learn from talented individuals. I suppose this learning has been the most inspirational part of my journey. As I attained fame in my field, I received several awards and accolades, which further inspired me to better myself, but my fame also opened doors to an international audience and it was wonderful to collaborate with international artists and create works of art for eternity. International travel exposed me to foreign lands and visiting art galleries became a part of my travels. Watching the works of great artists further inspired me to excel in my field of work. So, I guess drawing inspiration from both teachings and experiences of others has been my inspiration.
2.How have you been able to use social media during these unprecedented times? Are you finding that you use it, even more, to stay connected to fans and other musicians?
The 2020 Pandemic was an eye-opener for the entire world and especially for those connected with the entertainment industry because entertainment was not a priority subject on anyone’s mind when survival was at stake. As you are aware, everything came to a standstill. Overnight, I became redundant. I had no job and the future
seemed uncertain and bleak. So, I got busy with normal household work, looking after my family and making the most of life. I saw my 19-year-old grandchildren communicating with their friends all over the world through video calls, etc. and that inspired me to start an online music talent contest. The response was phenomenal. I suppose everybody (especially artists) were feeling low during the pandemic and were looking for an outlet to vent their feelings and their art. So, the internet became a great tool during the pandemic to actually interact with both my fans and budding artists. The internet has made it possible for everyone to showcase their talents and I feel it’s a great invention.
3.How do you think art and entertainment are correlated with each other?
The entertainment world is art on celluloid. Artists find inspiration from what they see and also from what they read or hear. So, visual and audio both inspire artists to create their own inspiration of what they have read, seen or heard. A beautiful poem inspires a songwriter to build a tune around the words or vice versa. I remember reading the book on Umrao Jaan before rendering songs for the movie. Perhaps, reading her story inspired me to perform those songs in a different manner. Her pain temporarily became my pain and I could infuse her life & emotions into those songs. This is just an example of how artists get inspired. Therefore, I feel that art and entertainment are two faces of the same coin.
4.As a legend who’s seen it all, what are some distinct differences that you see between the work produced by artists of your era vs. what we see today?
I believe that earlier works of art came from the heart. I am referring to music over here. During the composition of a song, the lyricist, songwriter, singer, movie director and musicians would interact with each other constantly and I believe their exchange of ideas helped in creating music that had soul in them. Today, there’s barely any interaction. Earlier, if we had a duet, the co-singer and I would sing together. This would inspire us to try new ideas etc. and help us in bettering each song. Nowadays, I don’t even know who will be my co-singer. I go into the recording studio alone, do my part and leave. It’s quite mechanical. Of course, the technology today is far better and the sound is awesome but where are the great compositions? Where are the inspiring lyrics? Music is programmed and created through samples. Where are the musicians who could infuse emotions through their respective instruments? So, I feel we have sacrificed our emotions to technology. Songs today are technically perfect but lack the heart and soul of yesteryears.
5.So what next? What are your upcoming projects?
I have just recorded some songs with Adnan Sami, which I enjoyed a lot. Adnan is an old-world stylist composer and I hope the audiences appreciate our endeavours. I have also just completed some work for an e-learning music portal. Besides the above, now that concerts have once again been given the green light, I am looking forward to performing on stage. I have concerts coming up in Dubai, UK, Mumbai, South Africa, etc.
6.What is one message that you would like to give to your fans?
Music is divine. Create from your heart. If music doesn’t move you, it’s not going to move others. Be your own fan & critic. Above all, enjoy life to its fullest. Do not delve into the past, enjoy the day and let life take its natural course.
