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Nine new reasons to smile?

Sowmya Raoh, who took Bollywood by storm with "Laila Laila", releases her album

POP AFTER PLAYBACK Sowmya Raoh, who believes the golden age for Indipop is round the corner

She is known in Bollywood for the sizzling number "Laila Laila" from the movie Samay. She even won the Startdust Best New Singer Award in 2003. Sowmya Raoh, who has lent her voice to hit tracks such as Leslie Lewis' remix of "Hai Re Hai Mera Ghoonghta", besides numerous Bollywood numbers, has just released her own compilation album. Here, she talks about her album, her music and more.

You have chosen to release a pop album after trying your hand at playback singing. What is the idea behind this?

I would ideally define the album as a compilation of my own songs, which include a few tracks taken from the soundtracks I have sung for, along with original numbers.

The initial idea was to release "Pyar Hai" as a single. But, after discussing it with my music label, I realised I have enough tracks in my kitty to make a nine-track album.

Till a few months back, Indipop churned out nothing but mediocre remixes. Do you feel this is changing with more original talent coming in?

I have decided to release my album at a dicey point of time, when nothing except cheap remixes seems to work.

But I believe the wheel will come full circle, and the golden age of Indipop will come back. The key is to promote new, younger singers who are experimental and willing to bring in that twist to their music.

How did it feel to work with someone like Tauseef Akhtar, who is relatively a newcomer in the field of music direction?

Though the listeners wouldn't have heard of him before, Tauseef is a popular name in the music circuit.

He has assisted Nadeem-Shravan, and my association with him began with a track called "Aye Dil-e-Nadan", which he casually composed, and wanted to see how it sounded with vocals. But when I sang it, I fell in love with the track and decided to include it in the album.

In today's day and age, what makes a successful singer?

Versatility, and going a step further by blowing your own trumpet about your versatility. I am lucky to be blessed with this versatility, but it would go unnoticed had I not incorporated tracks that reveal different vocal ranges and moods into my album.

There is a track named "Nazar Na Lagey", which brings back the 1980s Bollywood music feel, while "Pyar Hai" is breezier and sweeter.

A. VISHNU

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