I’m an artist with many shades to his tal

What would you say if you knew that you were in for another dose of THE RISING? Well, if you would be Bobby Moon, the 24-year old NRI from America you'd say, "That Rising was meant for the eyes, whilst the new entrant is a treat to the ears." Confused??? Don't be… Bobby Moon whose real name is Bobby Moonnumakal and who originally hails from Palakkad in Kerala is the latest singing sensation to enter Bollywood. And his music album titled THE RISING is all set to be released by T-Series in the near future. In conversations with Bobby, Excerpts:

How did an NRI land up in the Hindi Film Industry?

I had come to India sometime in early 2005 and like any newcomer to this magical town I began visiting the happening places where I could chance upon the who's who. On one such occasion when I was partying at the J. W. Marriott Hotel in Juhu I was introduced to Director Manish Sharma by Anupam Sinha. We got conversant and almost instantly Manish happened to like my voice. He said he'd give me my first break in his film JAWANI DIWANI and asked me to call him up later at his office. But I knew this was the golden opportunity that I couldn't miss. Hence, I penned a song then and there and sung it to him on the phone. That was it. The next thing I knew was we were recording it for the same film.

And how did T-Series happen?

Well, once you've impressed Anupam Sinha I don't think T-Series must be far behind. As is known to one n all, Anupam Sinha shares a good rapport with both Bhushan Kumar and Ajay Kapoor. Anupam-ji got me introduced to them and I narrated the concept of my album and also gave them a live rendition of some of the songs. They were impressed and that's how the album THE RISING got rolling.

When's the album going to be available to the public?

THE RISING is scheduled to hit music stands on January 15. It's directed by Anupam Sinha who has proved it time and again that he is a master when it comes to music. I'm very happy and consider myself very fortunate to have him at the helm of affairs. I think my entry into Bollywood has not been the usual struggle saga; instead it has sailed through rather easily. I thank the almighty.

Anything "different" about the album?

I understand the "pun intended" in that question; but I'd still mention that the album is very much different in many regards. THE RISING is not your usual all-Hindi album. It's a blend of three languages that are close to my heart… English, Hindi and Kerala. Since I am originally from Kerala, I've had the good fortune of experiencing both the magic of Kerala's back waters as well as the wonders of the wild wild West. And it's my sincere attempt to depict my experiences through THE RISING. The first solo single 'Sundari' is a blend of Hindi, English and Malayalam while the rest of the album is a mix of songs in English. There're also fusion tracks in Hinglish… if I may put it that way.

No remixes?

Of course there are remixes. How could I leave out the pulse of the current trend in India's music industry? The album has a few remix tracks of old Hindi film hits such as Kishore Kumar's "O Mere Dil Ke Chain…" and "Mere Sapno Ki Rani…" There's also a remix version of Jawani Diwani.
Is music in your blood or is it a deep routed interest?
I think it's more of the blood relation. My father who is a musician and plays a variety of instruments has been performing live shows for quite some time now. And I've been accompanying him for a long time. It's in these shows that I learnt to play instruments like Tabla, Bongo, and Saxophone and also developed a keen interest in writing.

Have you performed anywhere as yet?

Oh yes; I've performed in over one hundred live shows in cities across the US, Canada, Mexico and also in parts of India. This apart, I've also played a cameo in an American film WHERE'S THE PARTY YAAR. It was the role of the male protagonist's friend.

So you're an actor too?

Well, I'm an artist with many shades to his talent. I guess there's also an actor in me that needs to be tapped.

So who is better – the actor or the singer?

Now you're getting me in a fix. There's nothing like who is better. I think it depends on who is exploited the most.

What's your connection with Goldman Records?

Goldman Records is an American company that's majorly into live shows. For a long time now, they have been handling all my shows throughout America and elsewhere. I met Sam Goldman who is also an NRI in America and we clicked almost instantly. He is a genius who handles all of my international show assignments. You can call him my Man Friday as he has been very much instrumental in introducing me to the world music scene.

Does Goldman Records also handle your Indian projects?

As of now, I'm in a contact with T-Series for the first three albums. They will handle the entire promotion of all the albums and also do the worldwide marketing for the same.

To conclude, how would you summarize the current music scenario?

I don't believe in trends as such. I think the foremost thing for any singer or music director is melody. That's the key to a particular album making it or not. But coming to your question, I can categorically say that Americans are more into the Retro and Rap culture, whilst most of India is into Rhythm and Melody. As of now, I'm keenly studying the Indian music scene and you will see more of my findings in the albums to follow. Unlike the west, India has a lot of variety in music. Ranging from Ghazals to Retro to Rap to Quwwali to Light Vocals to Instruments to Classical you name it, we have it. Hence the competition only gets stronger. But I intend to take it in my stride and I will always perform to appeal to this interesting audience. I believe, my innovations will do the needful.