Shreya Ghoshal on Reality Shows, Stardom, Lip Sync Culture, Concerts & Patriarchy |FO478 Raj Shamani

9:28Raj Shamani:I think it is very unique and the whole world is looking towards us because of this that this is in which world why is this so happy with whatever is going on this is a lot of happiness we are happy in this culture that we have built for us we may have a lot of problems in our country right now there are many issues which are going to solve but as people we are not unhappy

9:56Shreya Ghoshal:do you feel so majority people are not unhappy

9:59Raj Shamani:no because we have figured out a way to be happy within our you know how I see that I keep going to one place where I go like my holidays I go to the holidays here every time dies so I went recently something that is doing something to someone's home We have a prayer at home. So they called them. Now come. So I went on a happy day. The way the whole community, the whole village comes, celebrates. They were just happier than all of us put together, all the days of happiness which we can't bother to sum up. They were all genuinely enjoying that moment. There was music. There was rituals happening.

10:53Raj Shamani:there were people running around cha cha cha chi dada dadi everyone is finishing their work and making sure that they are reaching

11:03Shreya Ghoshal:this festival

11:06Raj Shamani:I feel the lesser you have in life money wise you're better off because then don't get me wrong in this but then the community helps you have those moments of joy you may be working hard you may be hustling but when you are with us you are very happy so my idea of India in spite of its own issues economic issues financial issues which is happening now this time it will be done it will be done it will be done because we are getting there slowly but I don't think any country in the whole world has this kind of a culture which is community-based, which holds each other's hands. And we have found our own means of joy through the simplest affairs, you know.

12:05Raj Shamani:Simple joys.

12:07Shreya Ghoshal:And it is true that our country, in any situation, we are very poor, middle class, we are very poor. We have figured out how we stay happy on certain occasions. in fact people who are not very rich they have figured out so I agree with that part and it should not be our responsibility that we should embrace our cultural values as our country

12:32Raj Shamani:you talked about your father

12:34Shreya Ghoshal:so father and you guys in such facilities your bond brought up dad was nuclear engineer so nuclear engineer in Rajasthan, small place grandparents come from that kind of ideology

12:50Raj Shamani:how did a nuclear engineer

12:52Shreya Ghoshal:decide that let's leave our place and we'll move to Mumbai because our daughter is a talent yeah that takes

13:00Raj Shamani:a lot of courage

13:01Shreya Ghoshal:what did he think

13:03Raj Shamani:but you know we moved to Mumbai because here is headquarters BARC so he was still connected with his work it was still the right decision to do that because I was still in my 8th standard, 9th standard when I moved. I don't know what it will happen. What can happen to music for learning music? Because we don't have any in Rajasthan. I didn't get a guru. It was not to make a career out of it.

13:35Shreya Ghoshal:I never thought.

13:37Raj Shamani:Then when I moved, by the time I had done Sarangama and Kalianji Anandji who is a duo, Kalianji uncle said that you can come to Mumbai so I can teach you here you have to convince you you have to shift it doesn't make sense being there what do you say

13:53Shreya Ghoshal:how do you convince me see

13:55Raj Shamani:what happens you have made a decision but if a guru like if you have to give that you have to get confidence so he had made up his mind that I am done here we are not able to grow anymore if there is a talent in this girl she'll not be able to grow if I want to do in something more I won't be able to do but it was more for me because by then I was already getting a lot of love because I had already appeared on TV you won't win you won't win I was going to go I was going to go I was going to go I was going to go and there was a gut feeling that no this is the right thing right time to do it that was done after that the struggle was done but it was never that I will make a career out of it that was really Devdas happened just like that like he had heard me I was doing a lot of you know regional albums I have many cassettes from in Bengali and they have done at that time cassettes were sales physical sales not streams you know it had crossed a lack and more it was so much sales that was the time I didn't have a song in Marathi in Marathi But what he didn't know after that.

15:16Raj Shamani:But that's happened from Bhansali Sir Sanjay Ji calling the producer, director of the show. That he's a girl, he's a little baby baby hair, a tree, a shirt, a name of the show. He doesn't remember the name. So he does and does, he remembers the name. This is how. and now it's not like it's YouTube or something there it's hard to catch landline there's no telephones so who's calling you never know

15:48Shreya Ghoshal:wow full surrender yeah

15:51Raj Shamani:so that call happened and we picked up and said Sanjalila I'm saying I'm going to audition

15:59Shreya Ghoshal:so these

15:59Raj Shamani:are very uncanny things in life

16:02Shreya Ghoshal:when did you decide or family decided because he was a decision maker that we will not become a astronaut.

16:11Raj Shamani:Astronaut probably not become an astronaut.

16:13Shreya Ghoshal:But you wanted to become an astronaut when you were there.

16:15Raj Shamani:I was keen on space. Everything is good in my life. Because it was open to us. We had seen comets and satellites and all.

16:25Shreya Ghoshal:And Kalpla Chawla became like a raid very early on.

16:28Raj Shamani:I thought eventually I'll become a doctor. Because it felt like my thing. I'm a very physician. I'll do surgery. I will do it. I was good in that subject also a little bit. But never thought seriously about studies also. I was decently good student though. But last day I was going to study.

16:48Shreya Ghoshal:When you were recording for your first song, you took textbooks.

16:54Raj Shamani:Because I was giving my 12th board that time.

16:59Shreya Ghoshal:So you were studying in the studio? Because I was sitting,

17:02Raj Shamani:very long. At least I was going to take it because it's an exam. how do I miss the board exam? I have to go and study something.

17:12Shreya Ghoshal:But it was not that I would be a doctor or astronaut or a student. No, no, no.

17:17Raj Shamani:It was just basic. It was just basic.

17:19Shreya Ghoshal:Look, I'm fine.

17:21Raj Shamani:Now I'm going to give myself a good student. Even without studying, I managed to score pretty good. So in spite of not studying, I scored 86%. Wow. Board exams.

17:32Shreya Ghoshal:He's a very good student.

17:34Raj Shamani:I didn't study anything. I was busy in doing the film recording. Shows.

17:40Shreya Ghoshal:No, shows.

17:41Raj Shamani:Shows I did not do by rule. Why? Till Devdas released. Then I did my first live concert. Why? What is the need?

17:55Shreya Ghoshal:Will you sing in a movie?

17:57Raj Shamani:The song is the need. You can sing before something. I will show you.

18:04to make money

18:06Raj Shamani:not necessary yet first get there to do a show that was my dad's idea and it made complete sense now in retrospect he said don't and even today when I get the chance to tell someone that when you are at that very nascent stage of 16, 17, 18 the movie is not ready not done so much. By using so much, by failing, until you actually make a voice fully prepared, mature, until your voice has been turned out. Then when the opportunity comes in front of you, you're not able to do, you know, that time is missing. You know? So be prepared for every big opportunity in front of you.

18:51Shreya Ghoshal:Interesting. And what was that story? First song? that Sanjay Dila Bansali's mom thought of you.

18:58Raj Shamani:She saw the TV. She saw the TV.

19:01Shreya Ghoshal:And so, because of that, she said,

19:05Raj Shamani:Sanjay, you can see what this girl is being held. So, she saw her. She was blown away from her heart. She was a struggle. At that time, she was a struggle for a new voice for a female voice. For Paro. Probably her character. Something. so he took no time to decide on this actually he made up his mind that's what he did that audition just to convince everyone else but he also saw his serendipity with me when I went to give that audition while Ismail Ji and all his assistants and all the musicians are sitting the first song that I chose to sing when he said something, I wrote a very rare song, G1 Door Tumhi Sangbadi, which is a Latam Gishkar song, composed by Lakshmi Kanth Piyarilal, and a very rare LP song.

20:07Raj Shamani:Most people don't know this song. And his eyes lit up like this, and he started saying, smile. We are singing this song twice a day, and he comes to the girl, and he is singing this song.

20:21Shreya Ghoshal:Wow.

20:22Raj Shamani:So he still remembers that and every time I have something with you. But look, this was very uncanny. The first song that I chose to sing out of nowhere was the song which she was obsessed with over the last few days.

20:38Shreya Ghoshal:So it's done.

20:39Raj Shamani:It's not going to happen now. It's like that.

20:41Shreya Ghoshal:And then Jawab Studio recorded the first song. He made you sing that again and again too many times?

20:49Raj Shamani:Baheri Pia was one day.

20:51Shreya Ghoshal:Okay.

20:52Raj Shamani:The recorded version eventually got some revisions because of changes of lyrics. But Bairi Piaj, the story was that I was going to Western Nando studio in South Bombay. Now I'm closed. Okay. It's a legendary studio. There was a lot of songs there. The recordist is also Lata Ji's favorite recordist. Da Mansur Ji. So I was going to go there. There were rehearsals. There were musicians playing. I was to sit with books.

21:19Shreya Ghoshal:Of course.

21:21Raj Shamani:so just to absorb the energy because I have a zero experience like I said I did some Bengali Marathi albums that was all my mic experience but singing for a film of that stature no idea no so he then finally asked me to go on the mic that you sing you just get comfortable we'll do our dubbing another day come on, let's do a little rehearsal how do you feel like listening to the mic so I had rehearsed that song so I sang it and I was closed by singing and that song and I am seeing expressions and hand gestures because it's a unproof room everyone very happy I come out and they said listen now it's recorded it's recorded it's recorded

22:12Shreya Ghoshal:it's recorded it's okay

22:15Raj Shamani:it's recorded and like kuch aise loog hai jinn ka ashirvaad milna minne liye bhoat bade baat hai like Sanjay ji ka ashirvaad Damansud ji unka ashirvaad unhau ne jinn loogun ko record kiya hai unko idea hai ki kya awaz ka jadu unhau ne suna hai of the legends unka ashirvaad unka approval milna hii bhoat bade baat hai you know

22:37Shreya Ghoshal:so

22:37Raj Shamani:for that first recording was a again very blessed beginning for me and then

22:45Shreya Ghoshal:aapki approach of singing first time A.R. Rahman broke it in Barsore?

22:52Raj Shamani:Couple of people eventually broke it slowly Shreya many people go to I would say taking bold choices like casting like for example Jadu Hai Nasha ke liye mujhe cast karna Jisun ke liye was a very bold decision by the Bhats and M.M. Kirwani ji jo composer he was in he loved my voice and he wanted that only my but he said I need her voice in this because there's some magic which can add to this very otherwise sensuous song that innocence that she can bring to the song so odd choices some people took brave decisions against the tide yeah then yesh kahai much later slowly pritamna choosing me to sing yesh kahai for when we met by then I had not sung anything so peppy or you know a slightly modern way of singing until I didn't sing that song gave me that I was singing I reacted to the track and this is how I sing I react to the energy of the arrangement and how the song is so he chose to give me that song that was a surprise for a lot of people this is you okay yeah it's me yeah then Barsore happened that that was basically one of the third or fourth recording that I did for him also before I had a little bit of a song in Tamil but they were very one of them is a huge hit like Moonbeva a very big hit but it's a romantic song Barsore he was also convinced that you can do it.

24:42Shreya Ghoshal:You got trolled once, right? Yes. I'm just asking you that that when you said you wouldn't say I got trolled for that.

24:52Raj Shamani:I don't know. Look, see. But it's not like a troll-worthy thing. I said it for genuine reasons.

24:59Shreya Ghoshal:Why did you say so? Like you said,

25:02Raj Shamani:that if I was trolled, I don't know. Because I have done a good talk. So, I didn't say anything controversial. I said when I sing Chikni Chamele for example in front of a child I feel awkward. So after doing that song I got a lot of offers. Although Chikni Chamele was not on the face vulgar. Okay. But after that the songs were offered to me. Especially one film which happened whose song then I had to get out of the and is a dear friend of mine the composer. and he's a very musical person who has been in the whole music so he was a song which was too much objectification it was not subtle also that chicken by eating and eating this so I know I cannot say these words it just makes me feel red on the face I'm not doing it.

26:06Raj Shamani:I can't do it. So, these moments come in when I'm going to get out. So, I feel after that song because that song although it gave me a lot of

26:24Shreya Ghoshal:recognition and appreciation

26:26Raj Shamani:because that song is not just a fun song there's a lot of artistry in that song also.

26:31Shreya Ghoshal:Okay.

26:32Raj Shamani:There were versions that were very tone down and this is a subtle version finally that was out that was not so subtle it's still a word play it's not on the face do something

26:46Shreya Ghoshal:with me

26:47Raj Shamani:and after that and sometimes I don't realize that's another problem that I'm talking about that's another problem at that time I didn't have so much that I didn't that's what I meant that if there are some things that I don't understand now Now I consciously... I have understood that this means something. And if I sing this tomorrow and it becomes a hit, I will have to end up singing it everywhere where there will be small children who will come and probably they will be singing it or dancing to it in front of me, which I cannot see. Because in that West, every song practically, or big songs are like this.

27:33Raj Shamani:We have some, like how films have a certificate. That you can see it only if you become the age. It's not always happening.

27:44Shreya Ghoshal:It's not happening. It's all listening.

27:46Raj Shamani:It's not happening. So then how will it be? So you have to choose one. So I have become conscious of that. That's all. And I was trolled.

27:54Shreya Ghoshal:But do you feel embarrassed? What?

27:57Raj Shamani:No, I'm not embarrassed. Embarrassedly, I've won that song.

28:00Shreya Ghoshal:I've taken a choice lately. Like I shouldn't have.

28:02Raj Shamani:There was a good thing about that song and the bad thing was this. But the good thing was, I had the chance to come out of my shell. I had some 12 cups of coffee and I had a blast on that song. And it is a not just fun song, it is a difficult song. And it was not in my nature to sing these kind of songs. So it let me find a new voice.

28:26Shreya Ghoshal:Got it. So that was a good part.

28:27Raj Shamani:That was the musical side of it. but the repercussion of having sung a song which have such lyrics end up becoming one song that I will always have to live with where there will be kids in the audience also who will be dancing to it which I, now I will stop it because you feel good I like that song but I will not do that I will tell you so much

28:51Shreya Ghoshal:but is this realization after you became mother tabaya?

28:55Raj Shamani:no no this is the thing that. When did you get this? This was many. When did you get this? I forgot that.

29:01Shreya Ghoshal:No, like the realization No, that was even then and there. It's not after that my son will be good. Nothing personal.

29:09Raj Shamani:I just have I am sensitive to people who are in my house if a small child comes, I will be aware of who is talking about. We are still in Rajasthan. Even though I am a Bengali. But there you you talk to them. Kids don't say anything about you. So you will eat. So, respect is one thing. Respect. Whether you're elders or you're young ones and you need to be aware that what you're listening to that child is right for him. What are you watching on TV? What are you talking about? What are you talking about? You've got to be aware. Because it's the effects. Now, I know that I know more. Because now, my son is my own.

29:54Raj Shamani:And he has friends. peers and that discussion happens more but I was at that time

30:01Shreya Ghoshal:the troll was that you said it and after that you were performing yes

30:07Raj Shamani:I said that the song is good

30:09Shreya Ghoshal:that's why people trolled that you said that you will not sing the song and then people

30:15Raj Shamani:no, I will not record this but I have owned that song it's my song I cannot be embarrassed of or disown a song after having sung it fair I have chosen to sing that song but yeah tomorrow I cannot sing a song and I have done that many times these songs turned out to be the ones which I refused to sing they have become big hits but I know I knowingly said no to that because I didn't feel right at that time I think very little I am a very instinct based person like I work on impulses and instinct I feel this is right now that if this is right then I will do it but plan and plan the whole year the whole life long this is the right way wrong way it doesn't work for me

31:03Shreya Ghoshal:so you don't plan anything in life

31:05Raj Shamani:I don't plan I actually made a life because I have calendars and those calendars I'm so stressed obviously I'm going through a very bad phase of life that I have to look at my google calendar everyday sync up calendars discuss I feel like I have anxiety in my life. That's why I have too many people to answer.

31:36Shreya Ghoshal:That you don't like at all?

31:37Raj Shamani:I don't know.

31:38Shreya Ghoshal:So, do you have any planning for me to do songs like this? I will be my career, PR, marketing, strategy?

31:45Raj Shamani:I hate that. It's not. Now, the time has changed. Now the time has been like this, you have to kind of do a little bit of all of this. Because otherwise, it has become a very big system. Just to keep it organized, you have to do a few things. But I don't believe in this.

32:04Shreya Ghoshal:Not at all.

32:05Raj Shamani:I am not a strong believer of any of this. But it's not that you have to create something, a specific image you're chasing or like a product you're chasing. that I will sing like this type of song. This is how people want,

32:21Shreya Ghoshal:this is how people should perceive me. My stage presence is like this. You know how West does that? I don't know who does India. India,

32:30Raj Shamani:people are not new, they are probably doing it. Because they have built an image of themselves in their heads. And when I talk about it, I get to understand that they have built an idea about themselves which they want to eventually actually, we have to trust them. But that works for that, those category of singers and performers and creators. But people like me are made by people. I'm a product of, from the very beginning, when I was a kid, when I was a kid, I was a kid, very little. So I was made by their love.

33:11Shreya Ghoshal:So,

33:12Raj Shamani:there is a very symbiotic relationship with me and my audience, my fans. And they are very true to me. And they are like, they know my soul. They know that I will do this. They can second guess everything in my, what's my next move probably.

33:30Shreya Ghoshal:They know it more than probably I do. Wow. Why? Because they can see patterns.

33:35Raj Shamani:They know patterns. They know what she probably is thinking. I'm not that active anymore on Twitter.

33:46Raj Shamani:I was young I was silly like that I was young so they have seen that side of me

33:55Shreya Ghoshal:and you know they have

33:57Raj Shamani:stayed true to my relationship with them and they have also grown up and I have also grown up new children are also fans and then they know that she is one child like adult she has her moments and she definitely has a role change in her life right now she also has become a mom so probably it's not time we understand, don't do tension I am with you it's okay we understand but you love me

34:30Shreya Ghoshal:so what are you thinking they know what you're thinking next what are you thinking next

34:36Raj Shamani:what am I thinking next

34:37Shreya Ghoshal:because you know the audience so what do you know

34:40Raj Shamani:I mean, they probably last known thing that I've done in their eyes, probably. They now know that she must be in very tension. Why? She's stressed out because she's getting a lot of pressure. She probably is over, anxious, excited, emotional. These all things are my main qualities, my characteristics. I know them. So, I might be a little in a hideout right now. this is my nature when I have something big coming up and if it means it's important to me I go in a shell before that why? I have the nerves I do get the nerves even before even after doing so much work over the years I do and I think it's lovely to get the nerves without nerves there is no meaning but what do you feel

35:39Shreya Ghoshal:you said that it's a big show you'll get probably anxious you'll get like overstressed you'll get over prepared maybe you'll get a hideout why? why? now you're like a seasoned singer now you know

35:53Raj Shamani:I don't believe that myself I don't think about it people will think but I know where I'm at and I also do have some expectations of me that am I doing enough for that particular subject if I give letters to Lata Didi the concept it is very close to my heart and I will do it once again and I will not do it this is my one time tribute concept of that that idol of mine then I will not try to do it because it's not a it's not I'm not going to build a tour out of it or you know do too many of them this is one time I wanted to give my Shraddhanjali so behind that there is anxiety that I have listened to the right songs or not or will it be good enough what would she would have liked me to sing if she were in front of me what did she think that she was the best in which era in which songs they showed their best they never had any knowledge so I'm second guessing so I have sleepless nights these are silly things I know these are silly but that kind of then I go into that shell and now I've started instead of going in a shell I've started you know moving everything for a day before the concert

37:37Shreya Ghoshal:I will do it that day

37:39Raj Shamani:like how I should do my exams I will do it one night and it will be good

37:44Shreya Ghoshal:tell me what's the worst that can happen what's the best that can happen

37:57Raj Shamani:the best would be I don't think I've ever done my best that is another problem I have I am very critical of myself

38:07Shreya Ghoshal:nothing you feel you have done best no

38:10Raj Shamani:I feel I should do something there is always that what could I have done better in this you know there is always that feeling that okay I have done the song I have done my interpretation of what these words these notes these phrases have done but tell me

38:33Shreya Ghoshal:you didn't tell me best outcome what will be the worst outcome close to best or close to worst

38:38Raj Shamani:close to best is perfect perfect nuances perfect soul perfect interaction if it's a concert then I'm thinking like that that the song doesn't even change

38:51Shreya Ghoshal:the voice is

38:53Raj Shamani:getting mixed the voice is the song is the same the audience is the same the energy is the same everything is like all of that has to happen then it's a perfect day which never happens in concerts it's very impossible but on studio days when I go to the studio some days I know that I will be good I am confident that today my mouth is running today my mouth is running it's when I'm going to hit a note it's going to have the impact so

39:30Shreya Ghoshal:it's an internal feeling

39:31Raj Shamani:so yeah but I always so there are some composers with whom I can have those discussions like bhai aaj mai aati ho aaj gaana sab jitne achche gaane hai compositions aaj rakhi aaj record kar lete and there are some days when I know that oh I have not slept enough I have not I am not warmed up enough I am not in the perfect zone vocal zone which I feel is my best but then sometimes some songs some projects demand that kind of roughness or imperfection true it's a matter of how many

40:12Shreya Ghoshal:days let's say 10 days out of 10 days how many perfect zones and how many not in the zone

40:17Raj Shamani:not in 10 days

40:18Shreya Ghoshal:once in a month

40:20Raj Shamani:no not even that once in 5 months or 6 months it's like that it's that rare that I feel that oh today is something else.

40:31Shreya Ghoshal:Wow. So 100-800 days, one day comes that this is the day.

40:35Raj Shamani:Yes, I'm happy. And it is a little a jeepsy demand itself. But every musician knows that which day is the best day, which is not. Many people don't see it. Many people don't see it. They see it. They see it. Today I am right.

40:54Shreya Ghoshal:you aaj karte ga na this is this is a thing every jitne main artist se baat karta ho ya athlete se baat karta ho no wo sab ye baat karte ha and i feel like and this is true for me as well there are days jab aapko pata hai ki aaj toh kisi ko bhi bitha zho aaj I'm going to be a podcast like this it won't matter but then the rest and what's funny is that your audience might not know that the zone was good or bad I'm sure 95-98 % of people will not know that the song was good or not because they would enjoy the entire song

41:39Raj Shamani:but it's the output

41:42Shreya Ghoshal:it's the output they are listening to

41:44Raj Shamani:the journey to get to that end result 1 by 10 when your day is good you know because I know that I have to hit say an F sharp G on a higher octave there is a lot of warmth with warmth with expression it will feel that it should have I should have had five days of good sleep days and less stress. Mind also matters. You know, those days are very rare to get. We can't do that much because it's a very demanding professional life that we are also leading. But that's also the case. Then I realized that five days I had sleep for eight hours. But the day I have caught a cold. so it happens right everyday you are on the mic something on the amp so there is a composer Ajay Atul

42:50Shreya Ghoshal:with me

42:51Raj Shamani:that I always have a proper throat infection and the songs I have all the hits and everything is good so they often ask me to call me the mouth is bad so come on

43:08Shreya Ghoshal:so come on so

43:11Raj Shamani:that also is there nice

43:13Shreya Ghoshal:that is so good you must have perfected this art so well that it's a demand in bad times in good times I mean

43:20Raj Shamani:some roughness some vulnerability they like that yeah it works for the song sometimes

43:26Shreya Ghoshal:and what's the worst outcome which can happen at a concert

43:30Raj Shamani:I forgot lyrics I goofed up you can't forget it? yeah actually you've done a lot you've said a lot

43:37Shreya Ghoshal:you've said a lot

43:38Raj Shamani:and I've made it too now all my fans know this very well

43:44Shreya Ghoshal:give me an example

43:45Raj Shamani:the entire mantra has forgotten it's like that now I have it's time I'll keep the teleprompter in the future if I see the situation but in the past it's happened like I've forgotten what the mantra is that it's forgotten

44:01Shreya Ghoshal:it's all on YouTube

44:03Raj Shamani:I'm sure there are if you find there will be a playlist of those goof ups with doing confidently and people loving it also they're all jamming to it she's the original singer she must be right true so

44:20Shreya Ghoshal:I think

44:23Raj Shamani:I think I think I think I think I think I think

44:29Shreya Ghoshal:I think I think I think I think

44:34Raj Shamani:yeah yeah something like that yes, there is no reason because of the love yes, there is no reason because of the love it is for you I made something like that

44:49Shreya Ghoshal:and it went yes

44:49Raj Shamani:because I didn't remember what the word was and I was going to die from the whole world so it just happened so I don't take it too seriously there are days but I get like oh I do get blank moments and what happens is sometimes you go to these tours

45:06Shreya Ghoshal:long tours, jet lag.

45:08Raj Shamani:You've just landed. You're zoned out. You're now in a first city where you land, I was very tense.

45:19Shreya Ghoshal:Because the other time zone is not just

45:21Raj Shamani:We have not had any sleep and head is fully wired out. So how the hell am I going to perform? So I try to keep the energy from the audience and my band members.

45:35Shreya Ghoshal:but it was a good outcome one of the silly things

45:40Raj Shamani:but yeah I always feel concerts are all never going to be perfect it's not about perfection concerts are all about being that reality which is raw but it is so beautiful that it engages with the audiences and that's why nowadays concerts are such a game changer in people's lives people are realizing that

46:04Shreya Ghoshal:in the countries of the country.

46:05Raj Shamani:This is a lot of people in the country. Now that we are going to our India, we are going to our country. Because we used to be performing abroad.

46:15Shreya Ghoshal:Yeah.

46:16Raj Shamani:Most of our ticketed concerts have happened abroad. Like I'm doing world tours in 2002. There are many. But this culture has come to India now.

46:28Shreya Ghoshal:So which is good. It's absolutely good. So how many new singers are now making really good amount of money so like now they're getting motivated that we're not dependent on other songs and they're just putting them on Spotify and they'll go and that's something that they're doing so singers who are not able to perform live okay very well there are two types of singers who even if they don't sing well people like them and two types is one is I saw this personally first hand Justin Bieber concert he would lip-sync. At least when we were in India, he would lip-sync. I don't know what else they would do.

47:07Raj Shamani:No, I have seen his reels as well.

47:09Shreya Ghoshal:So one is lip-sync. People still enjoy. Like there are so many singers abroad who lip-sync, their show, they're still like really, really big artists. Do you like that?

47:20Raj Shamani:No, no, it's a lazy act. You have not put your... You have not been doing it. People like you. Though I feel Justin Bieber is actually a very good singer.

47:30Shreya Ghoshal:Absolutely.

47:30Raj Shamani:in the recent Grammy performance he actually sang live he killed it it was a very weird it felt very weird because he was he was very he was playing his own things and it was a very stripped down performance but for after a very long time I thought he was being real

47:48Shreya Ghoshal:he was being himself

47:50Raj Shamani:yes this is the talent that he is so many artists go through a lot of processes to find that inner strength that I am so that's it but I feel Justin Bieber is not comparable to what is going on right now

48:07Shreya Ghoshal:I'm just giving an example even though he's good, bad, I'm not talking about that, I love Justin Bieber just to put that record I thought it came right in the phases for me there was a phase where I used to feel very alone and weird and anxiety because I was just running towards goal and his song is lonely but I used to feel like why is this for me like that so coming back he is that singer but I have seen him live perform when he lip-synch so is that a good approach lip-synch

48:42Raj Shamani:in my personal opinion it is not

48:44Shreya Ghoshal:and then there's second approach which is

48:48Raj Shamani:like Gado

48:49Shreya Ghoshal:so this is the second approach like Gado younger generation a lot of people of my generation we feel like we should have to be a good guy we will go, we will sing a little singer up down. Definitely we love singers who are very good.

49:04Raj Shamani:But we are okay with 2-3 songs.

49:07Shreya Ghoshal:They are good songs, we are really good.

49:10Raj Shamani:See, I am not here to discredit what the audience is like. How can I decide what they are good? But I feel like there are some principles as an artist that I would be very difficult to say if I can't hear a performance in my life, I can't even listen to it. So, that's a big insulting and humiliating thing for an artist. My point of view is that maybe someone should have a question that you're playing in your life, or there's a live performance or a public act that's been spread. Because if you've done something in a timeline, you can't lose it. In 10 years, he will be walking around.

49:56Shreya Ghoshal:And haunt.

49:57Raj Shamani:You will always feel, why did I do it? You will realize that I didn't want to do it. So either you work hard on your craft, because you have come to that stature now, that you have got a crown and throne for that. For which millions of people are working hard to get there. once you're there you respect this position that you've you know come to and your fans

50:26Shreya Ghoshal:so don't

50:27Raj Shamani:don't take it so easy like now you're getting and now I'm big I'm big I'm so many followers I'm so many listeners it doesn't matter today we'll go fair because nothing is permanent fair you have to work hard every day to get stay there and grow further true

50:46Shreya Ghoshal:so last question on this when you look at these artists and clips the first thought in your head is it's a bad day why are they doing this or doing this why are they getting people like they're making a name of my country why are they putting it on their own or it's just like

51:07Raj Shamani:I know all the names that you're thinking of

51:10Shreya Ghoshal:let me help him or her you know that

51:14Raj Shamani:no see again they are beyond help which is the performance which I also heard and I feel they are not at wrong because they are in their journey some of them are really good songwriters their songwriting skills are fantastic and they become recording after pitch correction everything manage

51:42Shreya Ghoshal:manage

51:43Raj Shamani:now their songs have been increased they have very large streams and listeners following after that the decision maker that they have to put them to this global stage they are managers and agents

52:04Shreya Ghoshal:labels also

52:07Raj Shamani:so they should take some responsibility on the fact that this is not just for that artist or not to please your board members on that day see your numbers, see this algorithm suit, this is the target audience's gen z market, you know but you think that this is India's it's a growing market today if we make such mistakes it's gonna hamper your future is that India what it's all about the second time people will be least bothered Korea is better how many good artists are coming in Korea

52:47Shreya Ghoshal:and they are doing a dance they are doing a lot of stunts still they are able to manage that note

52:51Raj Shamani:I mean they are working hard

52:55Shreya Ghoshal:Asia overall

52:56Raj Shamani:I feel our culture is work hard we are all about academics and learning music and whatever we take up we take it seriously now if you are putting the wrong role models in front of you so the next ones will also say that we have to do it it's a cascading effect

53:19Shreya Ghoshal:you brought out Korea I was speaking to one of the K-pop artists and we had a long chat about how they build how they build their schools but they would stop an army machine for 3-4 years and then it's very strict right but the outcome is then you see what they're doing in the world even though their language doesn't understand anyone and rules the world same thing happens in some shape or form in america people don't talk about but i was reading an article on olivia rudrigo that she was spotting disney then she gave opportunities in her training how will she become a role model invest in her branding strategy and she made it from the beginning and then she is the product where she is acting then same with Selena Gomez same with Hannah Miley Cyrus Miley they do it they spot very early and make it it doesn't happen here

54:27Raj Shamani:it doesn't happen 100 % it's a culture there are some people see that there will be one or two people in the industry who have these ideas.

54:37Shreya Ghoshal:They need a big team

54:38Raj Shamani:to support them. Like-minded people. And ultimately, money. Because if you're not able to make the money out of doing all of this and break all the and make profits then they'll get a successful way. True. So, yeah, it's it's a process which is probably gonna start now we need some strong believers in certain ideas and some path breakers true it's happening

55:13Shreya Ghoshal:but does it happen just commerce and finance and money point of view because you said you need a lot of money because here we have very few female successes who are like commanding at least live concerts and who are like the idols and icons like you can count them on fingers probably 3-4

55:35Raj Shamani:that's it

55:36Shreya Ghoshal:and if you look at global economy more big singers, more big people and more money only comes to women singers economy is that globally the biggest singer is women is a woman then global south is a woman like any category women are killing it

55:59Raj Shamani:yeah

55:59Shreya Ghoshal:our here is a lot less why and outside in fact it's it's gone that they invest less on men more on women because they see probably that after they will become brands women spend more just commerce purely commerce

56:15Raj Shamani:yes absolutely definitely

56:17Shreya Ghoshal:like anyone in the world would back Taylor Swift than any other artist

56:21Raj Shamani:100 % she definitely has commanded her craft she's worked on it but it works something it works a connection and then the whole thing so it's all about timing the right time a lot of factors and she is good at what she does and she has a clear mind

56:48Shreya Ghoshal:I'm not saying Taylor

56:51Raj Shamani:you are right about gender equality

56:54Shreya Ghoshal:Taylor then Selena then Rihanna then Beyonce then Cardi everyone is different different types then there's new Olivia Sabrina you can just go name there are so many women the fact is

57:05Raj Shamani:India is a little patriarchal today

57:09Shreya Ghoshal:today

57:10Raj Shamani:why are you doing the concert why are you doing the number of songs on charts tell me how many songs are there which are sung by females I don't find if you go in the top 50 you don't do the top 10 I won't talk about it. In the top 50, It's 6-7. Why? It's that lopsided. But I do not know. It is, this was not how it was in our country also. It's very now. This lopsidedness has come. I don't talk about concerts. I'm talking about successful female artists. The time they were, Latam Gishkar, Asha Bhoshal. They were actually bigger than all the other male singers. True. the number of songs that they had per year and hits and that has changed, there is a lot of dilution and I feel we are actually we are going through something this is something from last 10 years that we are in confusion confusion and clarity everyone wants we want to break away from the film tag all the people who are coming who are song singers, song writers and performers on their own worth those people were doing it so many days and today they are noticing and they are supporting their labels and they are supporting their labels also you know help them being seen and heard this confidence that I can make my songs I can do something else behind it the story starts from home so at home if you don't have the support system from your own family your parents you are a great singer why don't you do something because it is not that at 15 you have realized that I can write great songs and within 21 you have to prove yourself if it's not then I'm sorry you have to move change your career that the pressure of being successful within that 5-6 years it's not workable for our females of our country because there is a lot of pressure that you have been 22 years now decide what to do true I think that's what it's behind it fair so new people are coming if they want to prove themselves they need to invest that much of time that time gets everyone that's a question that we have to ask ourselves and our mom dads around I mean I'm very lucky to have that kind of parents who have supported me

1:00:16Shreya Ghoshal:from a very early age

1:00:18Raj Shamani:and have been on the day I'm here because of them even back home I know that everything is fine everything is taken care of you just sing we are there for you this is a very rare

1:00:30Shreya Ghoshal:case so you feel it's not that this chicken or egg problem is not that they are spotting talent like my question was more is there women talent and don't pay money that there is no talent

1:00:46Raj Shamani:talent is full and today at this time when I am sitting and working with some girls they are helping me compose, write they are great singers also but since singing they are not able to do so they are okay to give me compositions, they are okay to give me you know this so I said, let's do this wherever wherever it will come, do it where she will come across but that opportunity windows are so less see every person every person can be a great songwriter and a great singer can be a great singer everything happens now we can think about it that's what happens in labels

1:01:36Shreya Ghoshal:and you have to perform

1:01:38Raj Shamani:also damn well

1:01:39Shreya Ghoshal:and then you have to be famous on social media

1:01:41Raj Shamani:yeah and you have to have that many followers

1:01:48Raj Shamani:then it will not follow through at the start only you have to come up with number, what are your social media numbers probably these are the questions been asked to the younger generation and I feel it's not the right way so baby steps I feel whenever I can I work with younger at this moment I'm creating I'm working on a lot of independent work

1:02:14Shreya Ghoshal:back burner but there are some

1:02:18Raj Shamani:amazing talented writers and singers and they are

1:02:22Shreya Ghoshal:brilliant but nobody is backing them like people don't put money on them because we are male driven society

1:02:31Raj Shamani:it is maybe they are listening to a lot of see sorry to say but most of the Punjabi songs which are doing very well what do they speak of most of them the popular ones gadi bangla ladki most of the content is kind of flex right which is being consumed heavily because it's got a groove and it's got a flex it works very well for certain markets where people are listening to this maybe someone who is writing sincere stuff is also getting the place but it is less in the ratio in the ratio it is less for commercial success this is more important unfortunately so now the girl who will flex or do that or do that because ultimately female singers have to be a little attract the male attention also that is how most of the female artists work how you dress how you act how you look true it matters so much

1:03:39Shreya Ghoshal:it's sad but it's true

1:03:40Raj Shamani:it is the bigger factor when it comes to female singers you're talking about most of them also that tag is very important how glamorous you are

1:03:50Shreya Ghoshal:on stage

1:03:51Raj Shamani:how what you are you know what your songs speak very few are Taylor Swift's who write very who came in the heart wrote she wrote and all the girls look up to her so if he's become here then I will be damn happy he needs such an icon and he's a very big void at that time that void is there

1:04:19Shreya Ghoshal:do you see anyone in pocket pocket do you like any singers while young I love

1:04:28Raj Shamani:see there are a lot of good vocalists I love her voice and then there is one girl called Pratikshashrivastav she sings she has composed one song for me she sings also beautifully

1:04:51Raj Shamani:she sings more folk and she has got everything the vibe, the look, the madness the performer so I really recently we did one concert where she was there opening for me so I called it on stage but a song is coming together now that you're here so I love my female whenever I get the synergy female energy around me I try my bit to get them ahead but there are some beautiful singers out there

1:05:20Shreya Ghoshal:I won't be able to judge the way you judge people but there was one singer I sang a song very randomly in Spotify I don't know how good it is but I loved this song the singer's name is Apeksha Pai okay

1:05:36Raj Shamani:I don't know I will listen

1:05:37Shreya Ghoshal:I think she's a good songwriter she's a good songwriter which I really liked and I felt that why not come out of the song I was waiting for her to put more songs but it didn't come out got to prod

1:05:52Raj Shamani:got to call a picture

1:05:55Shreya Ghoshal:where are you I think that one song was really good and here's how I judge it I just didn't know it so I listened to it a lot so that's okay but I can be biased mood, zone, face life I gave 10-15 friends and out of them 13-14 started listening to it so to me that's a good sign that other people are also and the girl is all so it's a good sign

1:06:21Raj Shamani:it's good so we have to take the onus of promoting our favorites also which is what our generation is doing

1:06:29Shreya Ghoshal:that they really

1:06:31Raj Shamani:build their artists

1:06:33Shreya Ghoshal:I do that a lot

1:06:34Raj Shamani:yeah that's so lovely

1:06:35Shreya Ghoshal:personally I love finding songs which probably have 1000 views 400 views and then I will send them to my stories on my social media because I want that artist to then I get really big

1:06:51Raj Shamani:and I genuinely enjoy good performers, good singers good music happening in front of me whether it's instrumental

1:07:05Raj Shamani:the reason why I do idol Indian idol is also this

1:07:09Shreya Ghoshal:because you want to find new

1:07:12Raj Shamani:there's a girl called Sneha Shankar the last season when she used to sing I used to wait the whole day she was very late

1:07:23Raj Shamani:she was tired but when she was I'm seeing that she's going to she's remembering her she's running and I can hear her it reminds me of my own younger days and I went and whenever she comes on stage then I get goosebumps what a voice what a voice what a voice sometimes someone's good there are vibrations in your body so I live for this whether it's while I'm singing I don't get so much I don't get so much I don't get so much I don't get so much I don't get so much I'd rather listen to others so I love that this is the reason why a lot of people will ask me that you do Indian Idol you do a lot you are doing 3 years do you enjoy you have a good talent or not I'm just going

1:08:21Shreya Ghoshal:otherwise I cannot

1:08:23Raj Shamani:sit for that many hours and keep a fake energy on my face. All that you see is real. I'm enjoying that. That's why my eyes are getting angry, sometimes happy, sometimes it's getting upset, so I'm doing this like this.

1:08:39Shreya Ghoshal:But reality TV doesn't happen a lot of fake. You can do drama to create. Maybe singing is good. That is what is needed. But besides that, they create drama. They create certain aspects to get movie worship. See, now there's comedy

1:08:55Raj Shamani:video are you on stage. Someone is wearing a mask and is wearing so much. This is all a script just to keep some comic relief between the singing moments. But the rest of it is all real.

1:09:10Shreya Ghoshal:No, but the back story is that you need to grow this viewership because it's good story. It's behind the scene. This is all too. It's a bit of drama.

1:09:19Raj Shamani:No, it's not. But if someone's story and he's told

1:09:28Raj Shamani:I'll tell you why because I genuinely loved in every season I have had my favorites I wish that they do well in life that is how I see reality shows as an opportunity to showcase your vocals I believe that Whenever I go anywhere, I say, we love watching you on TV. Why did he go so good? But he says, he was a shop of water. Why don't you name him? No, he's a father. He was a father. He was a father. He was from Bengal. call say, say name. Name is not a story. This is the reality with reality shows. You like someone so much but you don't have the attention to watch that person the whole time. So when you speak of your own, like today's writers who write their story in their songs, you haven't come to their original songs, so when you listen to their stories, through you know whatever you through the show where the father came mom came that is all real they have their struggles when it's when you see that you see a instant connection with that person I am rooting for you to win and the most of the people would have forgotten what's his name but that tag that was put on

1:11:15Shreya Ghoshal:he remembers

1:11:17Raj Shamani:he's a girl Look at the Gazzles. Gazzles. How does it look? What's the name? I don't remember. So that's why these bits are not scripted in reality show. This is just to build one. Each of all the contestants. They're all built. If you don't keep this angle, people don't remember. Today people have... And ask yourselves, how much time do you spend on? even watching one reel first 2-3 seconds you swipe up you know you watch the next until you get invested in the story fair but it's like

1:11:59Shreya Ghoshal:that someone promotes more because let's say maybe you are an average singer but the story is so solid that's why

1:12:07Raj Shamani:a lot of people

1:12:09Shreya Ghoshal:say that a lot of judges ex-judges have gone out in public and have said this

1:12:13Raj Shamani:I think if they are saying that they must have had a different experience but I came when I came to this show that was a very clear instruction that

1:12:28there should not be

1:12:29Raj Shamani:humiliation of music music if you are humiliating I will not come here then I will go

1:12:35Shreya Ghoshal:this is clear

1:12:37Raj Shamani:I did one season of Idol Junior which was in 2013 after that I am not gone because there was a time when I also felt what's happening

1:12:54Raj Shamani:so there was there was an intention of bringing back the glory of the format which is I am a product of not idol but I am a product of that zamanah when Saregama happened Sonu ji was hosting there were greatest of the you know judges sitting on television people were listening from there the first thing was probably not voting system but there was one episode where they had to write letters, competition letters postcards

1:13:28Shreya Ghoshal:what happened to that?

1:13:30Raj Shamani:that whoever has the most letters will win this round one special episode so in that time I got some 80, 90 ,000 letters in my name

1:13:44Shreya Ghoshal:90 ,000 letters

1:13:46Raj Shamani:they were all written letters in my name which was kept in the

1:13:54Raj Shamani:production house or the channel in their store so my dad actually saw those when he went to so that was real people wished that I went ahead so this is real blessings are and you have to go forward so in a show where people are giving so much love it's a great format and I am one of the products of such format and I have done okay because music I have gone on stage what I felt was good then there was a lot of innocent there was no more time there were no themes there were no themes now it's happening because it's more polished more meant for today's time. Today's consumption is a lot of consumption.

1:14:49Raj Shamani:But I can vouch for one thing because I am part of it and I wouldn't have continued doing this if there was any false glorification of anyone. And I am very anti. And even my co-judges we all are very involved in this thing. That it can't be bad with anyone.

1:15:10Shreya Ghoshal:Just because of their story or yeah so what's the harshest criticism you have done

1:15:15Raj Shamani:I feel easy to demonstrate everything to show everything I feel that someone is capable but doesn't know what to do okay so I always give everyone a benefit of doubt that maybe you didn't see this song in that perspective you did not use the right lens so what if you put that lens on and see this and does it work for you so my way of teaching correcting someone is through my experience

1:15:48Shreya Ghoshal:giving them perspective

1:15:49Raj Shamani:giving them perspective if they have a good job then the next performance shows a difference

1:15:56Shreya Ghoshal:so I am

1:15:59Raj Shamani:I can't be I am not

1:16:03Shreya Ghoshal:rude

1:16:03Raj Shamani:I cannot they have come a long way and for them that day that performance, that comment matters a lot it'll scar them that if I've said something very harsh, then it'll leave the song it won't be like that

1:16:22Shreya Ghoshal:but as you've seen the clips where there are old auditions there are some judges I think this was the zone where Chaveh Akhtar and everybody, these guys were these people give feedback so what a dangerous feedback leave the voice like you know I'm not pointing out him but there were like 2-3 judges I don't know yeah yeah

1:16:48Raj Shamani:he's always he's always

1:16:49Shreya Ghoshal:leave the voice leave the voice why are you time-waste

1:16:52Raj Shamani:that was a time that was a time that was a reality show

1:16:56Shreya Ghoshal:that was a time

1:16:58Raj Shamani:that was a time that was a time that was a little I've been part of some shows where I've had greatest legends fighting with each other and I'm like but just for the views no it was real because rage see environment if you're in an environment which is triggering sometimes you forget that your camera is rolling

1:17:22Shreya Ghoshal:and then ego and then those are great things

1:17:26Raj Shamani:for any anyone it's a curiosity generating portion

1:17:36Shreya Ghoshal:you will keep

1:17:37Raj Shamani:because people are engaged to see why will you not let them see that part so you have a golden jackpot so this was a lot of things now it's not thankfully it's a much more civilized

1:17:53Shreya Ghoshal:but a lot of people miss that that is why there are shows like with boss and all the other things

1:18:00Raj Shamani:when you want to if you want to see it it's a place where you talk about music or you'll have a little fun to keep it it's also an entertainment show it's going on GEC you cannot abuse you cannot do but it was a whole era when

1:18:20Shreya Ghoshal:shows were going to go just to go reality shows family shows apparently in those shows in those shows they all get fighting why are you here why are you going to go let's go

1:18:35Raj Shamani:I cannot sit in environment like this. I'll cut the tree. I cannot handle. I hate negative environment. Why? I just can't do it. It gives me anxiety. I protect myself first.

1:18:57Shreya Ghoshal:You said somewhere that I am like a protected child. right why as an adult also you have said that I am a protected child

1:19:04Raj Shamani:I am because I have very concerned opinions

1:19:08Shreya Ghoshal:what do you need protection from

1:19:10Raj Shamani:my well-being everyone is worried about my well-being including my husband he treats me like a child so they all think that I am not capable I am not capable of managing something but the fact is I take everything to listen and do what I like but I take everyone's constructive criticism and their point of view is what do you feel should we do this and those are usually nothing like because my self judgment is good enough for negating I filter out all the things this is not to do there are many things that I don't say

1:19:50Shreya Ghoshal:do you think that you can't handle it?

1:19:53Raj Shamani:no no I now have my own child god listen I have to be strong but I'm a sensitive person so I'm going to save myself because if I have affected from some situation I have time to move so I don't go to any kind of things where I know that I'll get affected and if someone has said something to you

1:20:19Shreya Ghoshal:then you'll also feel negative

1:20:21Raj Shamani:I don't know anything but I can't see anything in my face or something which I don't think right, that I want to stay in that environment.

1:20:33Shreya Ghoshal:Distance yourself. I do it because I will not be able to stop it.

1:20:39Raj Shamani:And I will come back with a heavy heart. And so there are these kind of situations where I protect myself. This is the only way I protect myself and the family uses their technique to protect me.

1:20:55Shreya Ghoshal:who do you think who protects you the most who has protected you till now the most

1:21:02Raj Shamani:my mom is because my mom relationship is that my son is a little different so he will come to the other room and he will ask what happened and that's vice versa even I understand her mind so we are two connected and my dad protects me like a dutiful father who probably is my number one fan and he will calls a spade a spade and he'll be blunt about everything in this situation don't get you know but you keep your mind clarity keep your sincerity

1:21:53Shreya Ghoshal:for you

1:21:54Raj Shamani:no other thing matters but I feel instinct this is he is my inner voice actually he is my conscience

1:22:03Shreya Ghoshal:so whenever

1:22:04Raj Shamani:I am in a soup or whenever I am in a state of conflict that what I am doing in this situation so I call that my mother is more of a maternal protection it's like that mom energy mom energy have you heard

1:22:18Shreya Ghoshal:that blunt fathers actually raise very sensitive daughters have you heard this ever?

1:22:26Raj Shamani:no

1:22:26Shreya Ghoshal:it's a psychological phenomena I don't know how many people are true but there's a phenomena there's studies being done on this that fathers who are very blunt straight to the point daughters are very sensitive because mostly the idea vague is that father is so blunt in the whole world and he says this and this and this and he is very protective in the daughter so in the 10 situations once the daughter says something blunt so she gets like this was my way and then you get more sensitive so you get like very sensitive because that blunt person has not talked to you in a very blunt way for a very long time and then when she does it once again she feels very bad so then you start seeing the world also that you can't talk like this and you can't talk and I don't want to keep the environment in my house

1:23:14Raj Shamani:there are very straightforward bad bata hoti hai but the dad will always come ki this is talk about this and come to the conclusion fast he is a boss man and he has been boss man in his life in his professional life also and he treats the whole system you know I always say ki Shreya Ghoshal is not one entity it's like a five and a half ka family is Shreya Ghoshal so all of us are part of everyone's position any CFO any CEO you know it's different so he is like that and outside when he is talking about me he will sacrifice his position his reputation for anything to protect me

1:24:07Shreya Ghoshal:so

1:24:08Raj Shamani:he cares too much and he has I mean been the manager. He manages my work.

1:24:16Shreya Ghoshal:Till now?

1:24:17Raj Shamani:He has taken a retirement and he said the guys who are working now you know but then you have to ask me

1:24:24Shreya Ghoshal:when you are

1:24:25Raj Shamani:in a difficult situation I am a person. I don't go away. I will run away.

1:24:34Shreya Ghoshal:I say this a lot as well in my team because it's beautiful what you said. Many people ask me about Rajshamani and I'm like hey Rajshamani is a brand we are all employees including me we all are working day in and day out to make sure that this brand keeps doing better things in life so my role I call that my role as chief values officer that a specific value system I have to ensure that the people who work on this they will be according to this others do it I don't do anything So same like how you are five and half. I'm like, this is what people are doing. It's a consolidated decision because everyone's lives are affected.

1:25:20Shreya Ghoshal:And what you're seeing out there, that's not just that I did something. That's why everyone has done something.

1:25:26Raj Shamani:That's true. And I've been like this. I'm a product of that. That half is my son

1:25:31Shreya Ghoshal:who is deciding

1:25:33Raj Shamani:and he has brought such clarity in my life.

1:25:36Shreya Ghoshal:What clarity?

1:25:37Raj Shamani:Devian has brought severe amount of intelligence in me.

1:25:42Shreya Ghoshal:explain this wow

1:25:44Raj Shamani:because once you have a child your own child

1:25:48Shreya Ghoshal:how old is your son?

1:25:49Raj Shamani:he is four and a half

1:25:50Shreya Ghoshal:okay

1:25:52Raj Shamani:one one one one one you know that transition from a girl to an adult a woman to then you know being married and partnership and then being a mom it's a evolution of another level I think the way nature twists and turns your brain and your body to fight with the constant decision making and the way you will manage your life. Nature has tuned you. And I have suddenly found that clarity and I am like, wow, you should do this first.

1:26:36Shreya Ghoshal:What clarity?

1:26:38Raj Shamani:I know I don't want to do this. Like? How do I have so many songs in the phone? I don't want to hear songs in one second. Because there's nothing in this song. There's no one in this song that I should say today. Today, if I'm putting my time in something, it should be worth my time and worth my energy. Because I have a little one at home. I have to get back to him. he's my world he's number one everything else is number maybe number 10 so even including music of course there will be some compromises I am constantly making it may not be I am also I am loaded with guilt in me always as a mom maybe I am not doing enough because there is so much information that you should be parenting but I have so clarity that it will not be 100 % right but it will be the same but it will be the same because it will know that my mom had a little effort

1:27:52Raj Shamani:and he will be a product of world knowledge because he will be roaming around with me, he will see all sorts of people, he will learn music while observing this is how I learned music he will learn any sort of art, I will let him be the child I'm not going to ever parent him the way people expect parenting as you need or soft parenting or strict parenting I will never read those because it doesn't make sense

1:28:21Shreya Ghoshal:but do you read books? you said you don't read anything self-help books

1:28:26Raj Shamani:but I like fiction books why? I am not a self-help I know you have written also

1:28:34Shreya Ghoshal:I'm asking I'm curious I'm curious because my life has the most important change when I studied a lot of books and I didn't about fiction today because that's very funny like I'm by the way I don't like reading I don't like reading I don't like I'm going to force it because I know that's the way I will learn I must have read probably 300-400 books in my life and maybe I'm going to read that but I'm going to force it

1:29:02Raj Shamani:I'll tell you a very simple thing I think I listen to a lot of people who speak and I mix with people when someone gets to know someone's talking something like that then they will stay I think these are the learnings which help make my decisions and my sensibilities also I don't need more than that

1:29:25Shreya Ghoshal:True it works

1:29:27Raj Shamani:I think I'm very happy in the smaller choices that I make daily and I'm not very ambitious.

1:29:36Shreya Ghoshal:You're not ambitious. Wow.

1:29:39Raj Shamani:That's the truth. I'm a product of non-ambition.

1:29:44Shreya Ghoshal:Wow. I couldn't guess this ever.

1:29:48Raj Shamani:No, it's true. This is the truth.

1:29:50Shreya Ghoshal:There was never ambition that I would become such a star.

1:29:54Raj Shamani:It's done. I'm a star. I don't know this. I mean, what it's like, what it's like, I don't understand.

1:30:00Shreya Ghoshal:Why do you have this constant feeling? I'm sorry, I'm gonna ask you.

1:30:04Raj Shamani:Do ask. I have a therapy session going on.

1:30:08Shreya Ghoshal:Why is this constant feeling that I'm not enough?

1:30:11Raj Shamani:I'm not saying I'm not enough.

1:30:13Shreya Ghoshal:You said that so many times. You said like. No but. I'm not. Let me. So you said. When I sing. I have to say. No this is not enough. I have to do something else. When you talk to your daughter. It's like. I'm not doing enough. Like. Concert maybe. I didn't do enough. I didn't do enough that song because I didn't do enough.

1:30:36Raj Shamani:It's a surprise for me. Why? It's like that. Why do you think? It's like it's a good thing. It's like it's a good thing. And I know it's like it's a good thing. It's probably going to be five years later. But it will come.

1:30:51Shreya Ghoshal:Do you have a lot of expectations from the beginning?

1:30:54Raj Shamani:No. In fact, it's gone. I think this is the reverse psychology. That none of them expected anything from me. or anything of me to my mom says, don't do it so go home

1:31:07Shreya Ghoshal:be a child enjoy

1:31:11Raj Shamani:dad just allows me to take bolder decisions when I find it difficult but he is also not ever pushing me to do things so none of them have done this whatever has fallen in my path everything happened at a time when we took the right decision hence it went to that hence it went to that it was a journey

1:31:33Shreya Ghoshal:I struggled

1:31:35Raj Shamani:but I won't say that kind of a struggle that I'm knocking I'll give a song I'll give a song that's not I struggled in the sense we went very far and far and sat and sat but because of merit it happened

1:31:50Shreya Ghoshal:but I never

1:31:52Raj Shamani:chased stardom because it is not valuable for me even today it's not valuable for me because I know it's a very frivolous thing stardom only allows you certain benefits that if you're a liar then your name is enough but I don't use that card in any way I feel very sad that VIP culture of being a star being powerful being different or at a hierarchy I find it a little uncomfortable for me. So my way of living is like, I'm amongst all of you. I'll do music. This is my gift, which is allowing me to find joy in my heart and allows me to give you joy. Everything around it, whatever it is, it's a game of someone else.

1:32:49Raj Shamani:I don't know.

1:32:52Shreya Ghoshal:Sometimes, because you do playback singing, sometimes it's invisible. that people know you, still people don't know you. Like for example in the beginning, we have heard a lot of songs. People know your voice, people know. But when you go on the street, people don't recognize you. Because that song is probably a Bollywood actress. And on the screen. Which is a great thing I feel. Why? Like it's invisible?

1:33:19Raj Shamani:I get very happy. It gives you the certain freedom that you need at a certain time.

1:33:28Raj Shamani:now it's difficult actually

1:33:30Shreya Ghoshal:now your face is very recognized

1:33:32Raj Shamani:I feel very good that I could go to the house and go to the house and go to the grocery shopping before we can't do it I have so many pictures I have given to fans in front of a khakara and choda backdrop I'm going to do the grocery photos

1:33:49Shreya Ghoshal:so think

1:33:52Raj Shamani:I don't have any trouble but I like doing normal things because if I don't know what I can do then I will which is happening now

1:34:05Shreya Ghoshal:but at some point you never felt invisible, never felt bad

1:34:09Raj Shamani:I was too young to know all of this, probably when I came to this industry, I was 18 by the time Devdas released I was 18 I was suddenly a part of a huge industry, I did not know what, how it functions and I have come from this culture where you if you have 10 years then you say uncle

1:34:36Shreya Ghoshal:you know

1:34:37Raj Shamani:I have addressed people then I have been told no that's not a professional way to say so I have been so I have learned the whole game to be a part of an urban city first and then to learn how to be in a very fashionable probably a little frivolous and superficial industry I don't have any trouble if I am invisible I took my time to learn

1:35:03Shreya Ghoshal:to get there I have toured with the greatest

1:35:08Raj Shamani:of actors and actresses I have done world tours with Shah Rukh sir when he was doing Temptations was it that world tour I was part of his troupe like those people perform and I have one small act so I learned a lot by watching the stardom and the fan following that they have commanded I have seen that happen in front of me how do they handle this wow I never felt invisible because I knew that they have earned that they have come to that position to earn that fandom now that happens with me I know that probably the years I've put in together the kind of music that I've done now it makes sense then it didn't make sense it doesn't make sense why should I one song is over and I'll tell people to get autographed for my autograph why?

1:36:09Raj Shamani:I've been the only song I've made a life I've made a discography I've made a fan for making a fan for making a fan it's not a keen thing

1:36:20Shreya Ghoshal:but now now that you have worked so hard so many things you have worked on do you think that people compare them with them do they? because people like the constant comparison is you and Lata ji people do first and then you and Sunniti they compare

1:36:40Raj Shamani:they don't compare with Lata ji they don't compare with Lata ji they say that second Lata ji they say that's very typical I think it's very good when they say I think that See the teacher, she's a guru figure for me. And not just because of the vocalist that she is. I have feminist love for her. Like she's been the icon that she was for that time. She broke a lot of barriers. Today we're talking about gender, songs, she was the strong advocate of the fact that I will say what I will say. If you have a need, then you stay. To have that confidence. With the kind of talent she had. She brought in the royalty, you know, reform in the industry.

1:37:28Raj Shamani:She was advocate of a lot of big things. She commanded the power that she got. So I love her for her. So if I compare her, I don't have any surprise. Because I have learned her music.

1:37:44Shreya Ghoshal:You met her? You were a student?

1:37:47Raj Shamani:I have learned her. I have learned her. listen ke sikhha hai. Mere gurus bhoat hi kam aise hai johne ne mujhe bhoat saal bed bed ke din raja sikhha hai. Koi thei nahi mere. I've only learnt music through. Mostly listening. So Lada ji ko mai is tarah se maan.

1:38:02Shreya Ghoshal:Amilya hun se? And then how was the experience? What?

1:38:05Raj Shamani:Love. Oh. She was this white sari clad. Tiny woman. She was already a little old by then. Diamond sparkling. Chum chum chum. In her own studio, she came to the ground floor and I said something on her.

1:38:26Raj Shamani:I saw Masa Raswati. It was like a divine feeling. She was very kind to me. She said, you should be Shreya. I heard your song. She also told me that she knew what I was going to do. She heard a song of Bangla that I was going to do in Bingwali. in Bangla there is no good in Bangla it can be a little better then I said I am a little bit of a Raja'sstown so they say a little bit of a Bangla who are a little bit of a great so there is a little bit of a accent in Bangla they told me that I was so moved that she knew of me she has heard of me she has heard my songs she has heard my whatever I was doing by then and this was not too many years into doing too many films this must be 2005 when I met her in 2002 Devdas came 3 years just I have done work or before that

1:39:28Raj Shamani:she was aware of me she was alert she was so kind she was so I mean I loved her and I was too scared to be in her presence all the time I got one time, then I got one time to get a Ritunath Mangeshkar award. I got a song in front of them. I got something to say, Meera Bhajan, that was in front of them. These are two moments in my life. After that, I didn't get to meet them. Because I, people who are very, who I keep on a pedestal, I just don't like to meet them too often.

1:40:09Shreya Ghoshal:Why?

1:40:10Raj Shamani:Because I have an image of them. I don't want to make it human I want to hear the stories I want to hear their world

1:40:25Raj Shamani:So all that those stories build a visual image of that person if I become too close to that person she'll suddenly become my grandmom like or a mother figure or someone you know I don't know

1:40:40Shreya Ghoshal:a relationship yeah which I

1:40:42Raj Shamani:don't want that's why I never in later years I couldn't make myself go I should have do you

1:40:52Shreya Ghoshal:do you regret that

1:40:53Raj Shamani:I do regret that now I should have made myself probably

1:41:01I regret

1:41:02Raj Shamani:that now

1:41:05Shreya Ghoshal:interesting yeah

1:41:07Raj Shamani:and she she is one artist who she is one artist who has formed the fabric of our country's music so for me she is very iconic to India's music and what music of our country's scene like even from outside when we watch outside the country, who's the name of India first? she's the name of India that she reformed the sound of our country of that era post-independence she's actually pre-independence but post-independence she has been a constant till 90s and then of course the shift happened

1:41:50Shreya Ghoshal:and gave it her own voice instead of copying someone else

1:41:54Raj Shamani:so I feel she is very important to the history of her

1:41:59Shreya Ghoshal:so when you compare them at least they say that you are the second then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then

1:42:14Shreya Ghoshal:oh

1:42:16Raj Shamani:thank you so much as I said like that I mean you

1:42:25Shreya Ghoshal:and Sunidhi do you feel oh we are

1:42:28Raj Shamani:good friends I don't know how the comparison can even come

1:42:36Raj Shamani:she's made of iron that girl and she speaks her mind she does what she believes in she is someone we have grown up together at the same time

1:42:56Raj Shamani:she's also entered that phase of life both in our 40s and we both you know she's a little ahead of me in terms of the number of years she's put in probably but we did some songs together also and when we caught up and we make a lot of plans which we never follow through because we both do have a hectic life

1:43:27Shreya Ghoshal:that's every artist's course that you can't get out of.

1:43:31Raj Shamani:I love to hang out with her. She's fun. And somehow match our friends are. We have some other common friends. I make these plans in my head and I will call Suniti. Now I will call her. We all get it. We'll sit. We'll do it. Like I saw that I haven't come to break time on this tour. So I'll wait for her. It's done. we will plan then we will go on tour

1:43:59Shreya Ghoshal:then we will go on tour yes

1:44:02Raj Shamani:but I feel she also has the same and I love the passion that she has for her her idols and the way she wants to recreate her own image she is very hard working she has worked so hard over the last period of years couple of years to transform into the thing that she always wanted to I know of this Sunini I know that she always wanted to do this now she did it finally so I'm so happy for her

1:44:36Shreya Ghoshal:now that she's killing it on stage yes

1:44:38Raj Shamani:and she's a fabulous dancer she always wanted to be this performer but she never found the right platform or the organized way that she wanted to do it now she made her she got to get what she wanted to do and she will do it again

1:44:55Shreya Ghoshal:nice and you said because we're talking about industry 2013 is your lowest point in industry who's that? 2013

1:45:04Raj Shamani:13 yeah

1:45:05Shreya Ghoshal:you said that what you trust in those people they think differently differently

1:45:13Raj Shamani:that time yeah because you know that time was the time when we took a stand on royalties suddenly divide over industry producers, labels some composers who didn't want to take the risk

1:45:35Shreya Ghoshal:that the work will be done what was the stand?

1:45:38Raj Shamani:the rights performers rights that is worldwide a thing there is no rule book there was no agreement so there was such a thing that you suddenly re-questioning is it even worth being in this industry why is it

1:45:59Shreya Ghoshal:what's like tell me explain me what's right that you don't perform the songs first

1:46:07Raj Shamani:you are waving off a lot so I had something like that that you have all the songs you have signed on that you have contracts pre-dated where what and to be very honest this after this reform after this reform there was a kind of structure now there are agreements singers were never paid there were never any agreements there was no you don't have any credit you don't have any credit credit is not the right why? it was the system although credit was made because if you have a singer under a singer then of course the singer will trend or people will listen to it or their voices all know. But by rule, if you don't give credit, it's okay.

1:46:59Raj Shamani:Basic things like this were not.

1:47:01Shreya Ghoshal:You have won't. But you don't have credit. And you get money.

1:47:05Raj Shamani:Money is also very similar. It's a different. Why are you giving exposure?

1:47:12Shreya Ghoshal:You have so much.

1:47:14Raj Shamani:Some people have a stance. I don't work with them.

1:47:18Shreya Ghoshal:But after that, because now, see starting when people give a walk and give them free that's okay we are sitting on you and experimenting so we won't give you exposure you got to sing your voice will be good but you should give

1:47:34Raj Shamani:rights at that time or at least

1:47:36Shreya Ghoshal:credit that's why

1:47:39Raj Shamani:that's why finally the power shift has happened I'm so glad for those artists who have made it on their own without a film support that's why huge respects for them whether they're good or not how they're doing they have built their career without a film body involved because there's a lot of bullying to performers and singers and composers

1:48:08Shreya Ghoshal:in what sense?

1:48:10Raj Shamani:without

1:48:11Shreya Ghoshal:no money or rights no money or rights

1:48:15Raj Shamani:your song has been done you don't have to take it which is not the way the world works

1:48:22Shreya Ghoshal:so how do you earn money?

1:48:24Raj Shamani:that's the thing you let the singers leave because you're live you'll come there

1:48:30Shreya Ghoshal:but live you're giving permission to sing?

1:48:33Raj Shamani:that's the same body where you have to take licenses from that's the reason you need to earn money

1:48:40Shreya Ghoshal:so you don't earn money only for singing and you're giving me a song for singing?

1:48:44Raj Shamani:question is not about that that's correct that's the rule case you have to pay the licensing body to give me the licenses to perform those songs because you don't own the rights of these songs. Publishing rights. But fact is basic thing just just as you have a song you have to get a remuneration right? If

1:49:12you have a new child

1:49:14Raj Shamani:you forget it. even the established ones they also wave off what do we have? we don't have it we don't have it we don't have it it's a big production we'll get more songs this conversation I feel very dirty so this is also but at least now because there is an agreement in place because there are corporate bodies now the west is involved in India they want all the paperwork in place they don't want to get into the dirty business of the you know how things run here so it's a little systematized but at that time you don't have money because you will get money in stage show

1:49:59Shreya Ghoshal:what if a

1:50:01Raj Shamani:singer has not has no capability to do a performance maybe a great singer but not a live performer

1:50:11Shreya Ghoshal:how does his house go?

1:50:12Raj Shamani:you are making your empire so there is a royalty which goes to the singers now which has happened that time so 2013 was when when we realized who made a song and that's where a lot of some great musicians got the hit I mean, they had to get less work and they eventually died down. I think that after that, there were many good people who were doing very good work.

1:50:57Shreya Ghoshal:But because they took a stand and then there were new people who entered.

1:51:03Raj Shamani:They may not be great, but after that, they didn't have to make them hits and popular. so because now it is a personal vendetta of the so a lot of dirtiness happened in that time around that time there are some composers who begged me that you should do something I said do something

1:51:31Shreya Ghoshal:do something do something

1:51:33Raj Shamani:because we need you we need you to sing this but you do something you can't I said, it's not like that it's fine you can do it

1:51:46Shreya Ghoshal:when you're going to

1:51:47Raj Shamani:when you're going to you'll get it see the song has a destiny if the song deserves you it'll wait for you I feel

1:51:55Shreya Ghoshal:and I believed it

1:51:57Raj Shamani:and that's how there was a time when I I didn't have too many songs that period

1:52:03Shreya Ghoshal:that was a period

1:52:04Raj Shamani:if you go and see less number of releases that time

1:52:07Shreya Ghoshal:So post that 2013, you feel mediocrity was a lot of people.

1:52:11Raj Shamani:Yeah, that's when

1:52:12Shreya Ghoshal:that's how the ego gets a mediocre promoter. So nobody cared about a good song, good music.

1:52:19Raj Shamani:Because hammering effect also works. If it's a mediocre song, but you keep playing, keep playing, and hammering, then it gets worse. But it's not exceptional if it's not formula based songs, it's okay. But around that time, a great album came suddenly resurgence of some new talent happened Ashiki happened around that time Ashiki 2 13, 14 14 then some belief in something can happen

1:52:49Shreya Ghoshal:it can happen in the new

1:52:52Raj Shamani:it's not like that but it's good so it changed

1:52:57Shreya Ghoshal:and today do you feel weird that if you don't make a real life then maybe you won't play do you find it odd that I played good song and I'm just going to play if it's not going to play then it's going to flop

1:53:11Raj Shamani:but now it's like that it's going to be on the real it's going to be on the real it is very sad but I think eventually good song comes out yeah I feel

1:53:20Shreya Ghoshal:but real has a big impact

1:53:22Raj Shamani:it does have an impact but I feel there was a time when there's a dance move then how will the song be hit you know

1:53:30Shreya Ghoshal:all the money is on

1:53:32Raj Shamani:influencers let's go I said, wow, this is some

1:53:39Shreya Ghoshal:Exactly.

1:53:41Raj Shamani:So I think nothing is permanent, no? Everything is constantly shifting. I like the younger generation believes that I need to discover my artist. They have the thing. It's good that it's me, it's me, it's me. You hear it. It's me. It's me. So, in this chakra, many good artists also discover. And that's it. But again, the songs are popular on real. They are true, right?

1:54:15Shreya Ghoshal:I don't know. It's popular. I think it's popular now.

1:54:19Raj Shamani:It's popular.

1:54:20Shreya Ghoshal:I mean, people were listening to the first time.

1:54:22Raj Shamani:Today, I just had a song.

1:54:23Shreya Ghoshal:A lot of people like me find out. I hear a lot of songs. I'm different. I am also different.

1:54:30Raj Shamani:I am not only on Spotify

1:54:32Shreya Ghoshal:because I am only on their playlist. I am different from the songs. Yeah. Exactly. I find good. Like I try to find good songs. I will listen to 10 songs so that I get better. Good.

1:54:42Raj Shamani:You invest your time and energy to find that.

1:54:45Shreya Ghoshal:I like.

1:54:46Raj Shamani:You don't want to make it. No.

1:54:48Shreya Ghoshal:And I look very underrated. Like I do.

1:54:51Raj Shamani:That's a flex. I have listened to something underrated. I'll listen to it. It's a flex.

1:54:56Shreya Ghoshal:Absolutely. I like that flex. Absolutely yes. I mean, if I'm listening to someone like a song, and I've heard it before, I'm thinking, how did I hear it before? I'll also write it before. Oh, wow.

1:55:11Raj Shamani:That's a nice flex. Good competition.

1:55:14Shreya Ghoshal:I like Indian songs.

1:55:18Raj Shamani:Some Indians are good. Some Indians are good. Some Indians are good. There is something good.

1:55:25Shreya Ghoshal:There is merit to like just good song

1:55:29Raj Shamani:that's why you need to give that energy to find the good indie

1:55:33Shreya Ghoshal:but majority people discover real

1:55:37Raj Shamani:and the real that's how it comes

1:55:41Shreya Ghoshal:that when I'm singing this part should be real it becomes a part of your marketing

1:55:49Raj Shamani:no no I don't have any skills of that

1:55:51Shreya Ghoshal:like last song I heard little Daru was UNAP AP so I discovered because so I was like why not yeah

1:56:03Raj Shamani:I know that I was coming to me so so I think I remember a lot of songs in the reels I remember I remember Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Imi Aise ganon ki shelf life baut zyada lambi nahi hoti hai.

1:56:29Shreya Ghoshal:Agreed.

1:56:30Raj Shamani:If it's only worth that 15 seconds in the song that you like that song. Aise kuchho time hoa hai jab manne koi gaana popular hi hai manne suna suna hoa hai. Phr woh part aya jahaan pe woh gaana actually reel pe chala hai. I'm like oh the rest of the song was so dull. Only this part was nice.

1:56:52Shreya Ghoshal:Just ki but that's Most of the people have made a formula that they do that part. It will be a part in the deal.

1:57:00Raj Shamani:That's so sad.

1:57:02Shreya Ghoshal:There are so many songs.

1:57:02Raj Shamani:It's also funny and it's also crying. But that's the truth.

1:57:05Shreya Ghoshal:And people do that and I go on, like I go to Spotify and listen to that song on YouTube. And then I see, this is 10 seconds.

1:57:14Raj Shamani:So right now while I'm doing my EP work, I'm working on a little album. on working so I am getting a lot of new song writers and everyone on board they also present me the vibe first I mean I am trying to school a lot of them don't bring me vibe bring me a song

1:57:38Shreya Ghoshal:which I can

1:57:39Raj Shamani:develop with you across generations

1:57:41Shreya Ghoshal:people remember

1:57:42Raj Shamani:something something something we will start with a thought give me a seed also I will I'll be a part of it most of them are bringing a vibe how do you like the vibe then I feel very so it's okay I mean of course there is everyone needs little guidance but today it's time that the vibe is running

1:58:10Shreya Ghoshal:you did a song with King recently

1:58:12Raj Shamani:I was just about to talk about this that today the song has been released it's been released I mean, the song was released, the album dropped. And when I met King, I saw him as a person. So King felt like a guy who was a hustle. Maybe a rapper. So you make a certain presumption. Presumptions. King would be like that. But when he came and met and played the song to me, he actually sent the song, waited a very long time, that I am a song because he was wanting it and now I know why because he had a whole nostalgia thing developing around this album and I felt so good his thought process and he said that this song is not real you can listen to this song not only two times just do it and then I got it I thought this is a good thing

1:59:11Shreya Ghoshal:this is a good thought process

1:59:13Raj Shamani:this is the change we need to make

1:59:16Shreya Ghoshal:and he's bringing the 90s zone

1:59:18Raj Shamani:yeah and it is a very fresh album actually my song is very unlike King so when I heard and I said King you made this song I said yeah ma 'am I was thinking of this and I was thinking of this and I was thinking of this he was so passionate and he's so cute such a dilly boy and found his energy very nice he's got depth he's got a great sense of what he's doing so I like collaborating with unlike people like so when I meet such people I'm very interested very different genre zone put it so your new tour is coming yeah so once it's done my prepper preps are actually starting for the unstoppable which is what my 2026 leading to 2027 early so I am now dedicating this time to being in the studio creating some songs for upcoming EPs and I will not get that moment back into the pocket I am not getting that moment so I am trying to say that what you do what you do now what you do now what you do now now we will do it.

2:00:38Raj Shamani:After that, we will enjoy it. We will enjoy it.

2:00:41Shreya Ghoshal:On tour is fun. Yes. So what is Unstoppable tour?

2:00:44Raj Shamani:Unstoppable is a very revamped It's a concert, very differently arranged, differently thought, a very good experience for people. See they have all seen my All Hearts. It was a very long 49 cities. All Hearts was quite a long tour. It covered every possible city where there are Indians or people from the Indian subcontinent. So now we had to give something new. So we started it. We have started it in the process. it will be a very personal journey songs which I don't sing anymore bringing those old nostalgia back so a little different set list and bringing some beautiful personal stories with a nice experience visual audio like immersive experience

2:01:39Shreya Ghoshal:all around the world

2:01:40Raj Shamani:50 cities

2:01:42Shreya Ghoshal:how many countries

2:01:44Raj Shamani:which includes US so a big chunk is in US then UK it starts with London first I mean Birmingham Manchester London that's the first leg

2:01:54Shreya Ghoshal:UK

2:01:55Raj Shamani:which is April this is now I'm going there so this is where it begins then we go to states we will actually announce all of them US will be announced in a few days so that will happen then Australia New Zealand will happen then the world tour then South Africa etc and then India end of India

2:02:19Shreya Ghoshal:the whole world is doing does it scare you?

2:02:23Raj Shamani:no but I have done this in the past also but what we have done this is we have announced the whole thing together which has not happened ever with any artist so everyone does in length that we have announced one section then we took a break clear but this time we have planned all the cities to announce so this announcement of what cities are happening has been done

2:02:50Shreya Ghoshal:but now the

2:02:51Raj Shamani:venues and the dates and the ticket sales will happen

2:02:55Shreya Ghoshal:wow all the best for that you have Shreya Gushal Day as well yeah there is

2:03:02Raj Shamani:one there is actually three of them

2:03:04Shreya Ghoshal:yeah three of them but US Ohio I think put it Shreya Gushal Day that people don't like that.

2:03:11Raj Shamani:They don't like that. Our fans don't like that. They gave a day to dedicate my name. But those fans have made a great Shriya Ghoshal Jayanti.

2:03:23Shreya Ghoshal:So, the authorities have made Shriya Ghoshal Day. How did that happen?

2:03:27Raj Shamani:I think it's just the love for the big Indian community that lives in the US. So, it's in a way a very nice thing that they decided. So, the the mayor and governor of governor signed it off I saw that letter he did that followed by Cincinnati then last year Austin the mayor they did it they did it in Texas so I think this is a very good thing what they did they don't know how much I know but I'm sure they would have discovered that there is a certain love for this artist and she brings so many Indians all together so that is a great honor and it's not just for me i think it's for all the indians who live there how do you feel

2:04:13Shreya Ghoshal:it's a big deal how do you feel have you been there on the day of shriya gushal day

2:04:21Raj Shamani:i feel again it is you know how awkward i'm i can see that

2:04:31Raj Shamani:but i like how the the fans do kick cutting they do charity drives on that day

2:04:37Shreya Ghoshal:wow

2:04:38Raj Shamani:so I feel very good that it's on the right route so it's nice

2:04:43Shreya Ghoshal:wow I was amazed when I read it I was like Shriya Gushal Day that is you have reached new levels that is incredible that is

2:04:53Raj Shamani:okay there is a lot more to do if you have to make a mark then there's a lot more but it is a nice gesture from the cities that I believe

2:05:03Shreya Ghoshal:we have established you don't have to say that anymore we know you don't feel enough if you want to do more there are so many things no but it's a good attitude I told you that

2:05:12Raj Shamani:I am not ambitious but what I am doing I want to do with perfection

2:05:16Shreya Ghoshal:perfectionist anxiety

2:05:17Raj Shamani:yeah is there a thing called that that I have I have that

2:05:22Shreya Ghoshal:we can see that I have that too so it's there

2:05:26Raj Shamani:so okay fine it's not bad

2:05:29Shreya Ghoshal:I don't know if it's bad or good I also have it sometimes okay last two questions okay tell me because I have left this thread where you were talking about your guru and Kalyan ji has convinced your parents but he couldn't see you sing like before he wasn't there when your first movie song released, right? Do you feel bad about it?

2:05:57Raj Shamani:I feel very emotional I'm always on the edge when I talk about this I value all of this value over the people who have been instrumental in my life see a lot of people are there in my foundation years so I wish they were there throughout my life to see this journey because they saw something in me that time many people probably won't see it they saw it so he believed in some way like my father like my mother he also saw something special in me I wish that he'd seen that Sanjali Labhan Saleh for the film and the song is good and all the changes in life whatever things my guru looks good and now

2:06:48Shreya Ghoshal:he couldn't see any of it let's say he was watching this

2:06:54Raj Shamani:what do you think

2:06:55Shreya Ghoshal:he would be thinking about your success today

2:06:58Raj Shamani:he would be very proud I'm telling you because uncle Garyanji uncle he liked promoting lot of young artists little wonders in their show in fact Alkhalji Saad Nasargam Sunidhi very Udit Narayanji all have been in their shows so lot of newcomers even Sunidhi got her she used to sing her in his concerts as a child like a small child so he was able to see that he was in which he was something special but he never did much in shows I anyway joined him in his classes or whatever little workshop that he used to do to a pretty end of his life he was very old by then and ailing but he never did much in shows he never did and he said that he was a little protected again, the protected child.

2:08:02Raj Shamani:Someone came to his home when we were learning children, and someone came to me, he was singing a song, that my son is a song, that's my song. He was really enjoying it. He will sing, and his face, his clips are actually, he's doing something in a program. You will see his face, the way he's singing every phrase that I'm singing and enjoying that. Not saying wah-wah all the time, but there is a joy and a smile and pride on his face. So he kept me in a different box. So I would just say thank you, uncle, for believing in me. When I started also losing hope, because I felt like you were different.

2:08:52Raj Shamani:Why are you not keeping me with me? Then I didn't understand that you gave me a different place. For some reason. And that you thought was true. Because it was again. And you are still your glory. That's why it's happening.

2:09:12Shreya Ghoshal:Nice. And when you look at your mom, because she is your first teacher. So when you look at her, do you still see her as a teacher? I hear her voice as a guru. Oh yes.

2:09:24Raj Shamani:My mom also teaches me. She teaches me.

2:09:29Shreya Ghoshal:Even today?

2:09:30Raj Shamani:Today she will teach me. I think I have heard something. I think mom says,

2:09:35Shreya Ghoshal:now she is probably good to me.

2:09:40Raj Shamani:I am a little bit with mom. But I am very scared. I take all. I will dismiss her things. You don't know mom. You know, you like. You do that. you will not acknowledge in front of her but I will work on it the moment she is jagada karke nikal gai I will get to the studio to fix it do it again or make that call ki nahi isko wapis karna chahe

2:10:06Shreya Ghoshal:this ahi nahi hua

2:10:09Raj Shamani:because merese baut se sari cheezay chhut jati hongi joh unke kan isanye sharp about these things that she's right

2:10:18Shreya Ghoshal:sometimes I didn't like to go what do you know I know

2:10:24Raj Shamani:so again I think the soul is the same she and me may have the same soul with two different voices and two different ages she's in a different generation I'm in a different generation but we have the same soul we have the same love for music the way she loves it I also love it the same way it's not too different

2:10:45Shreya Ghoshal:would you be proud of yourself if the kid who won Saregama if that kid is watching you today would that kid be proud

2:10:55Raj Shamani:yeah yeah you're the same you're the same you're the same

2:10:59Shreya Ghoshal:you're the same you're the same you're the same you're the same nothing else

2:11:05Raj Shamani:not much you're not changed much you're pretty much the same it's a little better it's a little mature it's a little understanding that there's no fear in life you can chill can do it.

2:11:17Shreya Ghoshal:Why did he leave the dream? Why did he leave the dream?

2:11:23Raj Shamani:He didn't dream. He didn't do much.

2:11:26Shreya Ghoshal:You missed that childhood? Do you think your childhood disappeared?

2:11:29Raj Shamani:No, but I'm leaving it now. I'll be a child whenever I feel like.

2:11:34Shreya Ghoshal:But do you miss that? That you were working a lot? Because you were working. You were disciplined.

2:11:38Raj Shamani:I didn't do those things that time. So that's why I was very grounded level I don't have friends of childhood

2:11:48Shreya Ghoshal:always on the go

2:11:50Raj Shamani:I had a professional life from a very young age so I don't have those kind of

2:11:58Shreya Ghoshal:I don't have those I feel I do not

2:12:02Raj Shamani:have someone to fall back on beyond my family and the one friend I made I married him

2:12:09Shreya Ghoshal:so I don't have backups But that's one of the sweetest things I've heard. Okay, that's so good.

2:12:16Raj Shamani:So I was like, soul connection, let's get married. So,

2:12:21Shreya Ghoshal:probably she's like, friend is one.

2:12:24Raj Shamani:No, I had a lot of compatibility with that person. So, he understood my madness. He understood that she's not going to be present, but I got to be present for her. So, which was a very matured thinking for that time. Because I was a guy when I was 18. in that time people think bad you didn't come to my party

2:12:45Shreya Ghoshal:yeah yeah

2:12:46Raj Shamani:you were not there when I needed you yeah bro I had reasons you know I had work brother I had work so that maturity was like not expected from my friends that time

2:13:00Shreya Ghoshal:and a lot of people also like they mistake this whole discipline your silent discipline you feel arrogant to you

2:13:09Raj Shamani:that you don't hang out with us

2:13:11Shreya Ghoshal:your arrogance everything is out of your head no like this is I'm working

2:13:17Raj Shamani:it's not just presumed arrogance she must be unreachable like she must be like oh my god let's not approach her

2:13:28Shreya Ghoshal:are you unreachable?

2:13:30Raj Shamani:probably tough to reach it's a one common common thread if you ask anyone probably they'll say that

2:13:41Shreya Ghoshal:nice what will you miss the most? I mean this is the last question what will you miss the most when you're probably I don't know 75 now you're not singing or not touring maybe 85 when you're not singing and not touring and you're just

2:13:58Raj Shamani:what will I miss I would have lived a full life

2:14:01Shreya Ghoshal:but what would you miss at that time what would you miss about music or miss about your life

2:14:07Raj Shamani:I'm saying music is listening. If you're not singing, then I'm listening.

2:14:11Shreya Ghoshal:But you would feel bad?

2:14:12Raj Shamani:No, why would I feel bad? I am very much in tune with what life throws at you at any given age. I'm not going to be the same energy at 80 or neither the physical or vocal capability at 80. But my mind would have had some wisdom hopefully by then to understand music in a different, much more deeper way or would have heard much more so I would still be connected to music if I don't lose my mind that is so

2:14:47Raj Shamani:as long as I'm okay with that if I'm unable to enjoy music that would be a sad thing then I will feel bad or enjoy life I mean it's one style of every time like when you're in your 20s you do things in a certain way in your 30s you realize okay I don't need all of this fluff I need to make my life worth something at 40 you've already realized don't come my way unless you have something serious to streak you know just get away

2:15:22Shreya Ghoshal:don't do it don't do it

2:15:23Raj Shamani:I have to do my work you tell me time passed so at 50s you're a little bit more getting in touch with this relaxed life I feel a little slower pace because

2:15:39Shreya Ghoshal:all said and done

2:15:40Raj Shamani:God has made your body a certain way it'll and your mind your hormones and everything it'll work in a certain way and I've seen a lot of senior artists go through complete conflict with this

2:15:58Shreya Ghoshal:and not being

2:15:59Raj Shamani:okay with age when the age hits you you should be okay with it and I don't want to be like fighting that I want to gracefully age at 70-80

2:16:08Shreya Ghoshal:and you're okay you won't fight it

2:16:11Raj Shamani:why should I fight it

2:16:12Shreya Ghoshal:she's asking

2:16:13Raj Shamani:no I won't

2:16:14Shreya Ghoshal:some people are some people fight because they feel like they don't have a way to live why are they going to live I think that's why

2:16:24Raj Shamani:I feel like a singular life lead is a very bad thing by now I would have realized that I do have more things to say or do in the time that I have learnt a few things and the stage where I have ways to do some impactful things in life many things and it cannot it need not be disconnected from what I am doing.

2:16:52Shreya Ghoshal:You can stand for certain things.

2:16:54Raj Shamani:Do something. There are so many things to do. I feel a lot for a lot of things but finding that time when it comes in my life that I will get that time, I will do it.

2:17:03Shreya Ghoshal:no one needs to be able to sing

2:17:04Raj Shamani:it will automatically be able to sing

2:17:06Shreya Ghoshal:so no one needs to be able to sing music music is not able to sing

2:17:10Raj Shamani:if it's not good I will not sing

2:17:12Shreya Ghoshal:and you will be at peace with that

2:17:15Raj Shamani:yeah yeah I will not make myself sound horrible I cannot hear myself bad

2:17:22Shreya Ghoshal:I want to be like are there recordings which you can send me where you are where you think like you sound horrible I want to hear your horrible sound because nobody I think must have heard it.

2:17:34Raj Shamani:To you it may not be horrible.

2:17:37Shreya Ghoshal:I know.

2:17:37Raj Shamani:I know that you can't.

2:17:38Shreya Ghoshal:The songs are horrible which probably you think is horrible and we don't.

2:17:42Raj Shamani:I have to do this in my childhood.

2:17:44Shreya Ghoshal:Tell me one more.

2:17:45Raj Shamani:I'm sure all those released are released. They won't go. Yes, so the one who won't go.

2:17:50Shreya Ghoshal:Unreleased or released song. Okay, I'll make a list.

2:17:54Raj Shamani:I'll send one or two songs.

2:17:56Shreya Ghoshal:I want to listen to it. I'll send people's links.

2:18:00Raj Shamani:I will feel like it was cringe

2:18:02Shreya Ghoshal:some of the top of the head song also probably

2:18:05Raj Shamani:was cringy that it was a very basic song so my heart was not in that the whole thing I sang and we have to live with it

2:18:11Shreya Ghoshal:thank you for doing this it was really a pleasure to have you here

2:18:14Raj Shamani:I had a blast as if I forgot it's an interview

2:18:17Shreya Ghoshal:so that's good that's the only intention we had

2:18:20Raj Shamani:I had a blast it felt like a friend talking in the living room

2:18:23Shreya Ghoshal:wow

2:18:23Raj Shamani:we all say it Adda okay we say it Adda

2:18:27Shreya Ghoshal:and it's a very

2:18:28Raj Shamani:Bengali trait a cup of tea and we talked about it this is happening in my home everyday

2:18:37Shreya Ghoshal:so you felt like we are talking about the adda we are talking about it

2:19:02Raj Shamani:Finally. Yes.

2:19:04Shreya Ghoshal:Finally we are able to do this. Please have a seat. Thank you.

2:19:07Raj Shamani:Sit here. Okay. It's a very beautiful space in my life.

2:19:12Shreya Ghoshal:Thank you.

2:19:13Raj Shamani:And it's not like a very commercial place like home.

2:19:17Shreya Ghoshal:Thank you.

2:19:17Raj Shamani:I love it. I was studying for you. You're from Indore.

2:19:22Shreya Ghoshal:Yes.

2:19:23Raj Shamani:Oh wow.

2:19:24Shreya Ghoshal:You go to Indore?

2:19:24Raj Shamani:I'm going to Indore. It's a very musical place.

2:19:27Shreya Ghoshal:For the show.

2:19:28Raj Shamani:For the show. I was just talking like MP, Hupal, Indore, both the places I have somehow connected very well.

2:19:37Shreya Ghoshal:Why?

2:19:38Raj Shamani:There's a vibe. Culture.

2:19:41Shreya Ghoshal:Music is very strong. Thank you so much for watching this episode until the end. Now you have to do three things. Number one, subscribe to this channel so that we bring you more valuable guests for this kind of this kind of way. And we will ask them the questions you want. Number two, tell me in the comments that you and which guests you want to see on our podcast so that we take them to ask them the questions you want. And number three, you must share this episode with someone who will have a positive change in life because one conversation is enough for someone's life. I'll see you next time.

2:20:19Shreya Ghoshal:Until then, keep figuring out.

2:20:26Thank you.