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Song sung true

Neha Bhasin is excited about her role as an anchor

Photo: sampath kumar G.P.

For Neha playback singing is similar to acting

In a nation full of vocal talent, with competitions making and breaking dreams, it is not everyday that one becomes a pop star. Five years ago, Channel V launched Viva, perhaps India’s first girl-pop band. Today, one of the five has established herself as a promising chanteuse. Neha Bhasin recently recorded for Yuvan Shankar Raja’s next project.

She has been busy with Bollywood and has worked on tracks in Pammi Somal’s new venture Mummyji starring Kiron Kher and Jackie Shroff. She has churned out hit songs in movies such as Ek Ajnabee, Dhoom 2 and Kaante. For someone who has made a transition from the pop scene to singing for movies, she says that playback singing is like vocal acting.

“It’s all based on the actor and the mood of the movie,” she adds. She is also a new face to look out for in India’s fast growing reality television market. As the host of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Hungama, Neha will lo ok into the lives of the contestants of the show. “We intend to portray the fights, the bickering and the tension the contestants go through during the entire Sa Re Ga Ma Pa experience.” She is really excited because she ge ts to cover all aspects of the show — from visiting the homes of the contestants to interacting with the mentors on the show. “It is great being on this side of the fence,” she says, being part of a similar adventure in the past.

Meanwhile, the husky voiced crooner is eagerly awaiting the release of her debut solo album, which should be hitting the stores sometime soon. “It is an eclectic mix of music. There are a lot of live instruments. Every track in the album is different but it is not a mad amalgamation or a khichidi,” she says. “Mast-Mast is a lively track, a get-up-and-dance song”. Another track features slow, hip-hop like beats and plays out as a conversati on with God. Pandit Somesh Mathur who has worked artistes such as Asha Bhosle, has helped her compile the album. Neha penned the lyrics for the still untitled album.

“Writing is an expression of what I feel and it comes naturally to me,” she says. She has been writing since she was 12 and is determined to steer clear of the clichéd subjects such as love and heart-breaks. “I write what I feel like. My lyrics reflect my moods.” Interestingly, for such a vibrant personality, a lot of her writing leans towards the darker side of life, questioning everything and making her listeners think.

NEHAL SHAH, A. RAJMOHAN

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