Best Playback Singer(Male)
'Dheere Jalna...' - Paheli
Sonu Nigam
He wants to aim for a hat-trick of Screen awards next year, and he is confident given the kind of songs he has recorded in films to come this year -Fanaah, Umrao Jaan, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Jaaneman, Krissh and others. In 2005, just as it has been for several years now, Sonu Nigam remained the uncrowned Sultan of Playback Singing.
His forte is his amazing range, his chameleonic changeability, and his constant success at reinventing himself - even before trends compel a change.
THIS IS SONU NIGAM'S THIRD SCREEN TROPHY
Previous Best Playback Singer (Male) Awards:
2001 - 'Tanhayee...' (Dil Chahta Hai)
2004 - 'Kiska hai yeh tumko...' (Main Hoon Na)
In fact, Sonu Nigam has been a trendsetter in modern playback, and began scatting and brought back yodelling with 'Yeh dil deewana...' (Pardes)."
Justifiably proud of his growth over the years, Sonu Nigam is especially pleased with the fact that he won this year's award for the 'Dheere jalna...' from Paheli. "This was the kind of classy song I had never sung before. Amol Palekarji and M.M.Kreem-sir were very clear about what they wanted, and yet like all intelligent talents, gave me a free hand after their brief."
Says the singer about his 13-year innings, "In retrospect what I was singing a decade ago sounds immature now, which is as it should be. I try to put in something of my own in terms of gaayaki in every song. It is my investment just the way we put in money in buying a good house and then decorating it. I try to improve myself with every passing day - and awards are like spurs because at the end of the day it matters that your work is acknowledged. And that is why being noticed with an award makes a difference as you get into history!"
Isn't it an irony of sorts that while he has been winning two consecutive Screen trophies he has also been 'choosing' future competition as Indian Idol judge?
"I think that good talent is always welcome," says Sonu thoughtfully. "Music has gone on a decline because some singers who have come in rely on pitch-correction software while recording. But I am very happy that in any competition whenever the participants want to showcase their skills with a tough song, the song they choose is usually mine!"
Sonu has some advice to offer the new entrants. "Success is a combination of so many factors, like a God-given gift, the ability to master technique, and also the help that classical training as a base brings. But today's singer must be multifaceted and resilient for the simple reason that music is changing extremely fast. Till last year there was some enduring quality in music. Today there is a different trend and I am involved in the changes too, through some of the songs I have sung."
But in keeping with his constant desire to spring surprises , Sonu is now doing what only the greats have done - recording a semi-classical album. "It's another chapter in my constant reinvention and I am doing the album entirely for artistic satisfaction, because I want to do this kind of weighty music at my peak. Commercial success will be a bonus. The feedback I got from my fans is that I should also sing some solid music and I am honouring their wishes."
So does Sonu feel that most of the music heard today is not up to the mark? "No. Good songs and bad songs will be made in every era," says the singer. "As a rule, you always feel that the music of your childhood is the golden era. But maybe today there is an undue thrust on music that is targeted at the youth in the metros."
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