Kailash: Recreations are fine, but the stature of a song shouldn’t be compromised

Move over remixes. Of late, there has been a lot of buzz around old Hindi classics being recreated for Bollywood projects, featuring the OG singers or new artistes. Singer Kailash Kher, who celebrates his 51st birthday today, doesn’t see a problem here, as long as “the aesthetics are not compromised in the name of recreation and modernisation”. He says, “With changing times, trends are bound to change. Kisi bhi gaane ko recreate karna galat nahin hai. Lekin recreation ki wajah se ek gaane ka stature compromise nahin hona chahiye. Kuch naya banaane ke chakkar mein ek bade gaane mein halki baat ho jaaye, woh theek nahin.”

The Padma Shri recipient has done playback for six Bollywood outings this year, “with many more in the works”. But he makes sure he strikes a balance between film and non-film music. “I record at least seven to eight film songs every month, for Hindi as well as regional films. But, as an artiste, my intent has always been to release my own music. I have always strived towards being a complete musician, hence I compose, sing and write. While film music gets you acclaim and it has definitely cemented my place in the industry, independent music is my first love, as it is entirely mine. It’s a creative outlet that gives contentment to my soul. Hence, no matter how many film songs we do, releasing independent music frequently is always a priority for Kailasa (his band).”

Sharing his birthday plans, Kher says he decided to give a birthday present to himself in the form of a single, Ishq Hai. “It is a love song, straight from the heart,” says the singer, adding, “I am also doing a bhandara today, where I would be distributing 200kg laddoos to the needy in Rishikesh today.”