Shaan, undoubtedly one of the iconic singers who has completed over 25 years in the music industry, opened up on his journey and the trend of recreating old Bollywood songs on the occasion of World Music Day 2021.
Shaan exclusively told the Free Press Journal that he started singing at a very young age and worked on his first project at the age of five.
"It was one of my father's projects in Bengali which my sister and I, among other children, worked on. I was not even five years old at that time. After that, I sang for jingles till the age of 11. However, then I stopped singing because my voice changed. I got back to singing jingles when I was around 19. But I never took it professionally and never thought I would be a singer all my life," he said.
Elaborating why he never considered singing and composing as a career option, Shaan said, "My father was talented, hardworking and we've seen him struggling. However, he didn't make it as a successful singer-composer. So, I thought there is no stability and I rather do something else. At that time, I actually started looking for a job and I also started a business."
"Eventually, I realized I was getting a lot of opportunities in music and it came very easy. I didn't have to struggle much and which is why is believe that what was meant for my father came to me," the singer added.
When asked who has been his inspiration, the 48-year-old singer said, "Life teaches you lessons from time to time and as you grow, you find inspiration in so many people. Musically, my dad has been my inspiration to a big extent. Legends like RD Burman, Madan Mohan, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Lataji and Ashaji - all of them are so inspiring."
"You find inspiration in so many little unexpected places. One just has to have that idea to be a student in life. Once we become too rigid and feel that we know everything then we lose that passion to learn or be a better person," he added.
Shaan further said that he cannot separate music from his life. For him, as long as he can sing and there's a mic, he is the happiest person.
The singer says while he is all for old songs being recreated, he says that good songs which have good melody and lyrics should be recreated.
"Just because a song is an old song, it cannot be called a classic. I wish they were remixing something that needs to be heard again. But what I have noticed is that most of the songs that are being recreated are not some of the best songs of that time. I don't have a problem with recreating. In fact, I had remixed so many songs in the mid-'90s myself as a singer," he said,
"We remixed songs like 'Roop Tera Mastana', 'Dil Kya Kare' and 'Hum Bewafa' to name a few. We sang it in a trendy or contemporary style but the songs have such beautiful lyrics and composition that the new generation needed to hear those songs. However, I don't understand why the new generation needs to hear some of the songs that are being recreated now. Most of these songs are made only for commercial reasons and there's nothing creative about it. So, if recreate karna hi hai toh acche gaano ko karo," he added.
"The new generation needs to hear songs made by legends like RD Burman and Madan Mohan to understand what is music, what is poetry, what is good lyrics and what is good singing. So, if recreating could help to do that, it would be great," he said.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Father's Day, Shaan released his new song titled 'Tera hissa hoon'.
Written, sung and composed by Shaan, the song tells the story of a father-son relationship.
"Tera hissa hoon is one of the most personal songs that I have created so far. Through this song, I want to put out the message that while our parents have always been there selflessly for us, we should also be around them when they need us," Shaan had said.
