Aspiring playback singer rejected for not singing like a drunkard

(Image via chicagonow.com)

Sur Taal, a young man who aspires to be a Bollywood playback singer, claimed that he has been rejected by many composers on account of not singing like a drunkard.

Narrating his experience to The UnReal Times, Sur said, "So there was this leading Bollywood composer, whom I would not like to name, in front of whom I had the honor to audition. I sang a few lines each from a couple of amazing, musically rich compositions in very difficult raagas from yesteryear movies and the 90s. The composer listened to me but after I finished singing, he excused himself for a second, went to his shelf, took out a bottle of scotch. He poured some into a glass, dropped a couple of ice cubes into it and handed it over to me. I was surprised and asked him what was going on."

"It was then that he said that my singing wasn't drunk enough to suit today's standards. He asked me to gulp it down and then sing one of his own upcoming compositions. In other words, he had modified the notes of Tum Hi Ho - changed a few sas to ris, a few gas to mas and had asked me to sing it. When I told him that I don't drink, he asked me to leave. I pleaded with him and told him how I practice riyaz every morning for hours. But he said that what matters today is the practice of singing drunk and if that's not there, then I'm out," Sur added.

Sur insisted that he was a learner and when he asked the composer for some advice, the composer gave him a DVD collection of chart-busters by Atif Aslam, Arijit Singh and so on. Another composer he had auditioned for, apparently asked him to leave when he didn't know what "auto tune" was.

Not knowing what to do, Sur said that he would try to meet Priyanka Chopra next, for advice on how to become a successful singer

UnrealTimes