'I haven’t been utilised properly in Yuvraaj'

Singer Sonu Niigaam on returning to playback zone with Yuvraaj, Rafi Resurrected concert and more in a conversation with Rachana Dubey.

Sonu Niigaam talks.. Rachana Dubey listens...

Apparently, you’ve cut down on your concert tours.
The schedules aren’t as dense now because I want to spend time with my son Neevan. He’s all of one. I want to see him grow up every day. If I have a longish tour, I take my wife (Madhurima) and him along. I can’t stay without my son. He’s more attached to me than to his mother.

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I did a couple of sell-out tours over the last eight months. Rafi Resurrected in the UK with Symphony Orchestra was the baap of all tours. I’m planning a world tour with the same orchestra now.

The South Pacific tour has opened doors for Bollywood to perform in the southern hemisphere. I did a concert in Kuwait.. the first one there in 10 years. So that’s quite a lot of touring

You’re back in the playback zone with Mastam mastam and Shaano in Yuvvraaj.
Yeah, I heard the tracks a few days ago. I loved the way I sound and the compositions. I was happy working with A R Rahman and Subhash Ghai. But I feel that I haven’t been utilised properly. I think they could have extracted better stuff from me. I feel unused on the album.

And Rabne Bana Di Jodi?
Ah! That album is really selling well..believe me, the sales will go through the roof. It’s a soundtrack which will stay in public memory for long.

When I was offered the tribute song, Aditya Chopra expressed complete confidence in me. In that one song, I’ve paid tribute to all the show business personalities I respect.

How has your Rafi Resurrected album done?
Ever since the concert was aired on TV, it has become a cult. Today, when the quality of private albums has dipped , this album as well as Classically Mild have done well.Today, you need brains to draw listeners your songs.

Kailash Kher has become a composer. When will you become one?
I’ve composed Tu kab ye jaanegi and Chanda ki doli mein tracks for my private albums. I’ve also programmed Chanda ki doli. I listen to plenty of music.. high class stuff, I have compositions whirring in my head, I store them or take down notes.

Honestly, I don’t want to go about explaining music to those producers and directors who think they know everything about music. Most of them lack music sense. The day I meet someone who is sensible, I’ll compose for the movies.

Will you ever visit the Indian Idol show again?
They haven’t called me at all but I have an offer from Voice of India. I might go on that show.

How come you walked the ramp recently for Shantanu and Nikhil?
I did that because no one expected me to. Earlier, I had done a magazine shoot for them. When they saw the pictures, they were convinced that I had not been exposed enough, I could be better utilised.

Here, the glamour quotient is restricted to actors but in the west, it’s everyone including sportspersons and singers. I was myself on the ramp, I wasn’t pretentious.