“No music, just YouTube videos in my bedroom,” says Sonu Nigam

The singer talks about watching YouTube videos and listening to Osho before going to bed, the perfect song for a dinner date and raiding his fridge for peanut butter and bread at night

Sonu Nigam has not aged, neither has his voice nor his looks. But he has come of age. He sagaciously claims to have “found” himself.Full of gratitude towards the Paramatma for his many achievements, Sonu also has a quirky side and shares, “I have multiple characters within me. They come out sometimes when I am in a zone.”

Sonu has lent his voice to every major leading man in the new millennium — in chartbusters from Sandese Aate Hai in the 1990s to Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin in the 2010s — but he has enjoyed a particularly fruitful, if fortuitous, partnership with Shah Rukh Khan in a string of memorable songs such as Yeh Dil Deewana, Satrangi Re, Suraj Hua Maddham, Main Hoon Na and Kal Ho Na Ho. Of late, the singer has become immensely selective; he says, “I will not sing cheap and meaningless songs,” but he participates passionately in shows. And he keeps himself in sync with the times, asserting, “I love researching and assimilating information from the Internet.”

Do you like listening to music in the bedroom?

I don’t. I usually watch YouTube videos on myriad subjects. Or I listen to Osho.

What breakfast would you like to have in bed?

Poached eggs and masala tea.

A not-so-cool thing about being a singer?

Nothing uncool. But I am not comfortable in a noisy place as one has to speak loudly thereby straining one’s vocal chords. Also, I have to avoid ice so that my throat is fine.

What is your tip to bathroom singers?

Keep it up.

Any recurring nightmare?

Not really, but I’ve seen my mother and I cry a lot when we hug each other on the other side.

Which song is perfect for a dinner date?

Suraj Hua Maddham.

A song you would woo your woman with?

Any song works. All I need to do is sing.

What do you eat when you raid your fridge at midnight?

Peanut butter and bread.

Do you snore?

I snore when I am exhausted. But I can’t sleep with a snorer.

Bedside stories

What do you like to keep on your bedside table?

My mobile, my other phone especially for the Taanpura, mobile chargers, TV remote, books, eye drops, AC remote, a harmonica and water bottles are some of the things that I inevitably end up keeping next to my bed wherever I go.

What do you wear to bed?

Boxers and a sleeveless tee.

Who is your 2am friend?

Raju Singh, Kailash Chandani, Sanjay Chitale and my cousin, Anurag Nigam.

Which is your preferred side of the bed?

The side with a phone charging dock.

From HT Brunch, August 22, 2021

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