'Independent music getting recognition'

Singer Nikhil D'Souza, who is the voice behind popular songs "Mere Bina", and "Gubbare", says the time is ripe for independent music composers as people are appreciating their work and there is a demand for it.

"These are very exciting times in the field of music. Previously it was ruled by Bollywood, but it is nice to see that independent artists are coming out and doing well," D'Souza told IANS on the phone.

"It is good to see that original music is being taken seriously and supported by music festivals. Earlier bands used to play covers because people liked it and enjoyed it, but now most of them are playing original music," he added.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, D'Souza began his musical journey by doing live performances with various bands and creating jingles for advertisements.

He has his own band called KNAP with Adrian D'Souza (drums), Kenneth Rebello (bass) and Pozy Dhar (guitar).

He feels that musicians are not shying away from experimenting.

"The new generation of musicians are experimenting with music a lot and have been appreciated by all," he said.

D'Souza's big break came in 2010 with "Aisha" in which composer Amit Trivedi made him sing "Shaam" and since then he has sung songs like "Mere bina" in "Crook", "Main jiyunga" from "Break Ke Baad" and most recently "Gubbare" in "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu".

"Ever since 'Aisha' I have been working continuously. It is nice to see that everything is going smoothly," he said and added that he is happy doing playback singing in films and has no plans to become a composer.

"I am not confident about composing. It is not an easy thing as you have to cater to the demands of different kind of people involved in the film and make them happy. I don't think I would be able to do it," he said.

The singer would be seen in Big CBS Spark's new show "The Gig Under The Sky", going on air Friday.

"More such shows should come up as it helps audience know that we exist. Such shows provide a platform to establish our existence," he said.