Neeti Mohan – An Interview

Just in case you happen to listen to ‘Isq Wala Love’ from ‘Student Of The Year’ and ‘Jiya Re’ from ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, back to back, you are in for a treat! Versatility, attitude and technique, all packaged into one voice is what Neeti Mohan has in store for you. Chasing her dream from a young age, Neeti Mohan found her inspiration in all genres of music. From singing ‘bhajans’ (Indian religious songs), folk songs and classics, she went on to win a music contest hosted by Channel V  and ever since then, has never looked back. Neeti Mohan is now a regular contributor to A.R. Rahman’s music, has delivered two super hits and has also appeared with A.R.Rahman on MTV. Read on as Neeti Mohan speaks about her musical journey.

narrative essay

1.  Your first stint in music?

My career in music began at a very young age. I used to frequently travel with my parents from Delhi to the Iskon Temple at Vrindavan and I would always get mesmerized by Lord Krishna devotees; especially the way they used to look so happy and lost in their own world. So I started dressing up in my mom’s sari, did make up, wore garlands and started singing bhajans with them.  That’s what I used to look forward to in every visit. And I started performing like that in my house and school.

I also used to imitate Lata ji’s semi classical songs and bhajans from films and private albums. Then I went to a Boarding school in Pilani Rajasthan and it was there that I repeatedly heard AR Rahman sir’s music for the movies: Roja and Bombay. It was then that singing became a serious hobby for me. And being in Rajasthan for 6 years helped me pick up local folk and traditional music as well.

2. How different is Channel V’s ‘Pop-Stars’ from other regular reality shows?

Channel V Pop-Stars was one of the first reality shows in the country and broadcasting the entire journey on TV was an interesting concept. We also got to record with big names from the industry like Salim-Suleiman, Vishal Bhardwaj, Jatin-Lalit and many more, in our first album itself.

3. What is the experience of performing with A.R. Rahman like and how did he first notice you?

I had sent my demo for Rahman sir’s US-Canada tour in 2007. As they were looking for a fresh voice I made it through. It was again a life changing experience for me. And Since then I have been part of almost all his concerts across the world. In all I must have done about 40 −50 concerts with him so far.

I would say it’s a Dream come true. Because when I was in my boarding school I used to listen to his music a lot. And all I ever wanted to do was quietly sneak into Rahman sir’s studio and just keep listening to his music. My friends used to tell me that I was mad.

I actually regard him as my mentor. Knowingly, unknowingly he has taught me that music is not just about melody, rhythm and Lyrics; it’s a way of life. You feel the music from the purest form of your own self or in other words Rahman sir has taught me how to live. He is divine and I can go on talking about him…

4. ‘Ishq Wala Love’ is a soft romantic number while ‘Jiya Re’ is an energetic number. How does it feel to be a part of two popular songs?

I am very thankful to god, AR Rahman and Vishal-Shekhar for giving me such wonderful songs. They have always helped me give my best.

5. How exactly did you prepare for the recording of ‘Jiya Re’?

When I was recording the song I was lucky to have Rahman sir, Gulzar sir and the Late Yash sir around. It was an honour to sing amongst these living legends. Rahman sir asked me to sing ‘Jiya Re’ with a lot of attitude and I did just that.

6.  You recently performed on MTV unplugged with A.R. Rahman. How is it to connect with the audience through an unplugged concert or a public event?

MTV unplugged was a totally new experience for me: live audience and a new version of “JaaneTu” created by Ranjit Barot sir. I lived every moment of it and loved it.

In fact I get to feature on MTV unplugged various artist’s episode again with ‘Jiya Re’s’ new version. So I am thankful to Rahman sir that I have been given the opportunity to feature twice.

7. Your upcoming projects.

Well, get ready for more playbacks, I guess! My first single ‘JA JA’ has already been uploaded onto youtube and is going to be aired on MTV soon. It’s my first composition and has been co-authored with my father.

8. And any special message for aspiring Journalists?

Stay Inspired.

When Shreya Ghoshal Showered Bangalore With Her Soul-Stirring Voice

The Songstress of our times, Shreya Ghoshal, mesmerised a 10,000 strong audience during her three hours performance.

 ‘Ooh La La Bengaluru with Shreya Ghoshal’ was a live concert in Bangalore on 12th of May in which the nightingale performed her best numbers in both Hindi and Kannada. Backed by 12 brilliant live musicians, the concert soon had the crowd on their feet, swaying to her melodies.

The event was an initiative by Rajashekar Brigade in aid of ‘Hiteshi Mahila Maneyangala Trust’ and was organised to perfection by a reputed Bangalore based event management firm, ‘Filmconsepts’. When rain threatened to play spoil-sport before the start of the concert, the group promptly shifted to a closed venue. The excellent seating arrangements, smoothly managed parking facility, sound systems and above all, the musical extravaganza added to the overall experience of the concert. The volunteers too pitched in with their timely contributions.

The concert started off with a bang as Vasanthi Hariprakash took the city by surprise, as she welcomed the audience with all her energy. Soon, Singer Shivprasad Mallya rolled out some outstanding numbers like ‘Ishq Sufiana’ and ‘Dil Sambhal Ja Zara’ and following that came the moment everyone had been waiting for: Shreya Ghoshal’s performance.

Shreya Ghoshal, arguably the best voice in the Indian music industry with a 4 million strong, fan and a career spanning over a decade; justified it all with her soul-stirring performance. Starting with her latest blockbuster ‘Teri Meri’; she sang all her popular romantic numbers in the first segment and displayed her energy in the second segment by singing her dance numbers. Her avatar changing numbers like ‘Ooh La La’, ‘Chikni Chameli’ and ‘Zoobi Doobi’ were just some of the numbers she performed. However, the audience was left enraptured when she began performing her Kannada numbers. Dressed in typical south Indian attire, she had her audience enthralled with the beauty and charm of her personality and voice.

 But we all know that to experience the true bliss of music, a single concert of Shreya Ghoshal is insufficient. But the audience wasn’t the only one that was took back happy memories from this concert. Dubbing Bangalore as one of her favourite cities, an elated Shreya Ghoshal said “For an audience like this, one concert is never enough. I shall come back really soon”.

 And thus, Bangalore received the best monsoon gift that it could hope for. At the end of it, everyone had to scream out a “hurray” for the team that had put their heart and soul into making the concert one of the best musical experiences!