His voice was phenomenal in giving composer AR Rahman a platform in the Bombay movies with songs like Tu hi re and Roja jaaneman. But Hindi films have been missing the lilting voice for some time. “It’s probably because composers have stopped making songs that I can sing,” laughs Hariharan.
Hariharan, however, is busy with other things. He is giving the finishing touches to Colonial Cousins’ album.
“It’s a gift to our fans and both Leslie (the other half of Colonial Cousins) and I have come up with some innovative ideas to make this album a memorable one,” says the singer. The singer who shot to fame with his songs in Mani Ratnam’s Roja feels that Indian composers are imbibing Western influences.
“It’s true that classical music is losing its hold over Hindi films. This is probably because the composers and singers are not trained in classical music. They are looking for other things to adhere to,” he says.
Hariharan feels that the Tamil and Telugu film industries might have witnessed a lot of technolog- ical advancements in filmmaking but have maintained the classical music touch in their songs.
“Today’s musicians are brought up on Western music. But at least they are not distorting classical music,” he says. The singer feels that the Mumbai movies are focusing too much on fusion. However, Hindi cinema remains his priority as Hariharan hopes that he will get a chance to sing in the movies soon. Hariharan, who is also popular in Pakistan, is ready with his new solo album, For You. “It is an output of two years of hard work and the lyrics are special,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}“Today’s musicians are brought up on Western music. But at least they are not distorting classical music,” he says. The singer feels that the Mumbai movies are focusing too much on fusion. However, Hindi cinema remains his priority as Hariharan hopes that he will get a chance to sing in the movies soon. Hariharan, who is also popular in Pakistan, is ready with his new solo album, For You. “It is an output of two years of hard work and the lyrics are special,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}The words are contemporary and Hariharan has composed the music for this eight-track album, which will release in June. “I think it is better than my last album Kaash. I feel that I have graduated to more mature music and lyrics with this album,” he smirks.
This album will be released simultaneously in India and Pakistan. The singer has his hopes pinned.