Nakash Aziz is known for the male playback singer of some popular Bollywood tracks. He’s recently released a single independently which has created quite some buzz on social media. The single, titled Heeriye, is one that he’s jointly composed.
BizAsiaLive.com caught up with Aziz to talk about his move to independent music.
Your song Heeriye is getting much appreciation on social media. How has this felt?
It’s quite overwhelming and, to be very honest, I just made this song because I wanted to tell a story. One that I am sure everyone will relate to. It was made with the intention of sending across a message to all music lovers to pursue their dreams without having any second thoughts.
This is your first independent single. What was your motivation behind releasing music this way?
I really wanted to live the process that people used to have in the olden times, which is why when we recorded this song, we recorded it in one take. We had some brilliant musicians for this song in a single room studio and I also sang while the musicians were playing live, just like back in the days how Rafi Sahab or Kishore Da used to record, with the entire orchestra. Only for the string section we had to record that in London and that is also thanks to Pritam Da.
Another reason is Indie Music Label which is headed by Mr. Naushad Khan, who I have known for some time now. I really liked his entire professional approach towards things. He was the first person I met and he obviously, along with Sony Music India, are responsible for the marketing and distribution of this song. I really thank him and the entire team for believing in this song and it definitely gave me a lot of courage and belief to probably to continue this process of independent music that I have started and Inshallah we will have many more to come.
What was your main inspiration behind the song?
Basically a couple of stories that touched me during my journey of life. I came across a few people whose stories really resonated with this song that I had already made and that’s how the video idea came up. I just wanted to show a story like I said before. When I met these people I realised that we are so lucky that we have the time and the people that we want to live our dreams with and its very important that you make the most of it rather than just putting it for another day. It’s very important that you capitalise on the time with the people who are still with us and the strength and ability to do a lot of things. I know many who are not very fortunate when it comes to these things but there is always hope.
How much input did you have in the video?
The story of the video is actually something I came up with because of couple of people who I had encountered in my journey of life. They inspired me to come with the story and made me realise of the things that I am fortunate to have and I don’t take those things for granted anymore.
You’ve jointly composed the song with Sargam Jassu. How did you work through the composition together?
Sargam & I have been working together for the past 10 years now and been producing music and composing songs. We are currently working on this TV show called ‘Kulfi Kumar Bajewala’ for Star Plus. It’s always fun to sit down & work with him and we bounce ideas off each other. It’s a fun process to have someone around with the same sensibilities when you are making music or just get ideas. Like one of my friend said for music, that it is a social process. I kind of like the isolation sometimes but it does really help to have someone around.
Do you feel limited at all by Bollywood or film music as an artist? If yes, why?
Well, Bollywood music is sort of a commissioned thing because, as a singer, you are trying to convey a message that someone else is trying to show on screen – especially the lyricist or the director who will have a certain perspective which is very important for you to understand. Sometimes there is no message and it’s just a party song, which is mostly what I have been subjected to deliver. But it’s quite a fun process, you go to the studio, you meet a lot of people, you get to work with different engineers, arrangers, music composers, etc. I have made lot of good friends in this industry which makes it even more enjoyable experience.
But if you just talk about Bollywood, then Bollywood is an evolving industry. We are still figuring it out, I think. We obviously aim to be something like Hollywood but I don’t think that’s the right way to approach things as we should not try to be like someone else and we should just try to great original work.
There are a number of well-known artists choosing to go independent. Do you feel it’s important in relation to changing technologies keeping yourself relevant?
I really believe in making music and if your intention or motive to make something is driven by certain kind of emotion, I think you should go for it definitely. I am glad that many singers are doing independent music singles now. I really happy with the kind of work my co-singers are also doing, like I have seen really good things come from Benny Dayal, Badshah and used to really like Honey Singh’s tracks. Although it’s not the kind of music I would always listen to in my car, I really find it very encouraging to put my story out also just like them, which they inspired me to do. It takes a lot of time, courage and patience to put out your own music because with Bollywood you already have a platform but when you are doing something independent you are basically on your own. It just becomes that more challenging for a singer to take a step back but I don’t think it really is that but, yes, you are on your own which can be seen as a progress towards the entire universe of music and you never know when one of us can make a difference in a huge way.
Watch Nakash Aziz’s Heeriye here: Heeriye
