When I first call her on the mobile, Shreya Ghoshal sounds like any other twenty- year old girl- a little hesitant, unsure of what to talk to a stranger. But as the conversation progresses and as she comes to realize my genuine admiration for her songs, soon that hesitancy disappears and the real Shreya emerges through her conversation. One thing is sure that behind that sweet, young voice lays an even more impressive intelligent mind.

This young singer who captivated millions of TV viewers right from her Kids Special Saregama days, has already won even more hearts of classes and masses with her sweet and melodious songs in films like Devdas, Jism, Dhoop, Krihshna Cottage, Munnabhai MBBS, Khaakee and Main Hoon Na. I still remember how one of my music aficionado friends had gushed after listening to her singing in Devdas – ‘Here’s a voice of the next millennium.’ I had not entirely agreed to his assessment then, but if Shreya’s singing career graph over last few years is any indication, then that prediction is well on its way to becoming a reality.

Early Grooming:

When I ask, “So how did it all begin?” Shreya starts reminiscing about her childhood days spent in a small township nearKota, Rajasthan. “ I come from a Bengali family. My father worked as a scientist in Bhabha Atomic Resarch Centre and my mother was a teacher. A good singer herself, mom was my first teacher in music. I was just four, when I first sang in a public function. Later, I started taking training in Hindustani classical music. The TV musical competition Saregama was my first big opportunity and in fact, through that program Sanjay Leela Bhansali spotted me as Paaro’s voice in Devdas.”

Devdas: The Big Break

‘What were Bhansali’s expectations from your voice?’ When I ask this question, Shreya candidly answers, “I was just over sixteen when I sang those numbers like Bairi Piya, Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka and Dola Re Dola for Paaro. I don’t think that age- wise, I even had the maturity to carry off those heroine-numbers but somehow my voice has always sounded much more mature than my age. Sanjay-ji was looking for a similar voice- sweet, thin and innocent. Both Sanjay-ji and I are big fans of Lataji’s singing and at the trial, when I sang few of her numbers like Jeevandor Tum Hi sang Baandhi, Sanjay-ji was really impressed and confirmed my selection. It was a big banner, a big break and a great experience. No, there wasn’t any musical discussion with Aiswarya Rai as Sanjay- ji was the captain of the ship. I consider him as my Godfather- he literally held my finger and taught me to walk in this field!”

‘What about Ismail Darbar?’ I ask her about the reclusive composer of this film and she says, “Oh, he was a real hard task-master. He is so talented but he is also very strict. For days, we worked on each tune. He also has a fiery temper and many a time, onlookers would find me crying after a scolding. But all he did was to ensure that we delivered the best output.”

Jism: The image change

“Jism was the next milestone for me”- Shreya explains. “The songs like Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai and Chalo Chalein proved that I could do justice to sensuous numbers, too. That music proved that I wasn’t just a singer who could only sing classical or sentimental numbers. Then the rest of the hits like Chhan Chhan (Munnabhai MBBS), Vaada Raha (Khakee), Kiska Hai Yeh Tumko Intezar (Main Hoon Na) followed in its wake.”

Then I ask her the obvious question, “How does she manage to bring in such rich emotions through her songs?” Shreya’s answer is thoughtful. “I learnt my singing by listening to great singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt and Noor Jehan. By imitating and imbibing their rich emotional singing style, I started my singing and slowly those emotions became a natural part of my singing. Over the years, I was able to evolve my own original style.”

Present Music scenario:

Commenting on the present status of film music, Shreya says, “The onus is on quantity, rather than quality. The music programming is done in the morning; the singer learns the tune in the studio for 15 minutes and the recording is over in another hour. The whole process is so fast that the involvement in that song is minimal from all parties. For Devdas we had taken days over each song but that was only because the producer himself was the film-maker with a vision, otherwise such intense involvement in music-making is rare nowadays.”

Then she goes further to add, “The music channels are beaming 10 song-clips every minute and even if you hear one good song in that constant barrage, it is difficult to be recalled. The music scene of today is really in a state of confusion.”

So when I ask what her approach is in such a confused scene, she says, “I choose songs which appeal to my sensitivity, it doesn’t bother me even if the composer is new or the film is from a small banner. I try and understand the lyrics before rendition. In every song I make a sincere effort do my best as far as my part goes.”

Item number fascination:

Explaining her views about the present-day fascination about item numbers, Shreya says, “Today there is a growing audience out there, which just wants energetic peppy numbers to groove to. To cater to their taste, item numbers are being made. But I feel that there is still an audience for good melodious music. In one of my concerts in South Africa, the audiences demanded an encore for my softer and relatively unknown melody Suna Suna from Krishna Cottage, instead of the peppier commercial hit like Dola Re Dola.”

As a performer she says she treats the audience as her buddies. “It is not really necessary to dance furiously or look glamorous while performing on stage. The audience should be made to relate to the personality of the artiste. I enjoy singing on stage and make sure that audiences also enjoy my performance along with me.”

“Abroad, the audiences go not by the hype but by substance and that’s why thankfully good songs, as opposed to just hit songs are appreciated.”