Tough words on newcomers

I saw this article - -it is kind of depressing. I cannot believe that a
classically trained singer like Sharib would not be to standard. Is this Lalit
of Jatin Lalit? I really feel like sharib does better than the original singer in
many songs so I disagree. Please post your opinions.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1676755.cms
Criticised for lacking originality, winners of reality shows fail to strike the
right note in the Indian music industry.

A year after their much-hyped victory on popular TV shows, Abhijit
Sawant, the nation's first Indian Idol, Fame jodi Qazi Tauqeer and Roop
Rekha, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner Debojit are still to carve a place for
themselves in the music industry, much like VIVA and Asma, bands
formed with winners of the Kiska Band Bajega contest in the past.

Having shot to fame singing popular numbers and imitating established
singers, they still thrive on borrowed success, crooning songs of well
known music directors, lyricists and singers to keep themselves in the
public 'ear'.

"But what else do you expect?" asks music director Lalit, "The route these
young singers have taken to make a career in Bollywood is very
unprofessional.

There is no innovation in their performance. And how long can one live
off someone else's work? We don't want mimics but talented singers with
a style of their own."

Having judged shows to pick such winners himself, he avers, "Most of the
contestants are quite mediocre and require a lot of training to meet our
standards.

Take Ujjaini, Sunanda, Himani and Sharib for example. They all have sung
for me, par koi ga nahin paata hai (but nobody can sing). Yet they are
adjudged winners. How that happens is anybody's guess."

Agrees music director Aadesh Srivastava, "TV shows put us on the judges'
panel to pick out those with potential and yet, they go by what the public
votes say. We pick a candidate suitable for the music industry based on
our experience, but that is overlooked. Naturally, winners of such shows
chosen by the public's mandate will always be misfits in the music
industry since they are devoid of any talent. Na originality raheti hai, na
quality (There's neither originality nor quality). Be it Sonu Nigam, Anu
Malik, Himesh, Shaan or Lucky Ali, they have struggled for years to reach
where they are today and have not got success overnight."

Not just music directors, but event managers are also disillusioned by the
quality of goods being delivered by the winners of talent hunt shows. "On
TV, they all sound good but you have to work with them to know their
calibre. Take Debojit for instance: I was taken aback when he won the Sa
Re Ga Ma Pa contest.

I had worked with him a few years prior to his win. He participated in a
show organised by this UAE TV channel as a lead singer, but he could not
even get the notes right," says Rim Jhim, a Dubai-based event manager,
without mincing any words.

Nevertheless, the new kids on the block remain undeterred and feel
success is theirs despite all odds. Like Abhijeet Sawant, who has to his
credit a few albums of his own, "I agree that we are still forced to sing
numbers of well known singers instead of our own, in all the public shows
we perform. But once we start getting offers for playback singing, things
will change. I have given myself three years to establish myself, uske baad
dekhenge."

As grounded as he may sound, Qazi Tauqeer and Roop Rekha feel
otherwise: "We are performers, not just singers. Today people don't want
to hear someone just sing, they look for entertainment as well.

And that's what we provide," says Qazi. Pitches in the Bong singer, "Have
you seen Lataji singing on stage? She is totally deadpan, but watch our
shows, they are full of life. Yeh hai hamari originality. Yes, we don't sing
our own songs but the unique way in which we render these songs, sets
us apart." They are singing their own tune, indeed!

anjali.singh@timesgroup.com

Its pretty interesting to read the comments made by Lalit. He was one of the mentors and Sharib and Sunanda actually belonged to their gharana and he always used to cry himself hoarse that their singing is amongst the best and that they were original. So now accusing them of their lack of originality is infact ridiculous......so what was he thinking when he made those comments on the national television during the program?
I am not sure about Abhijeet and Qazi since I haven't heard them, but Sharib, Hemchandra, Sunanda, Himani, Vineet - all of them have talent and also have musical training!
And even Sonu Nigam, when he was a beginner, used to try to sound like Mohd. Rafi when singing his songs...so can't say that they all render songs sung by others in their own style!

I think most of the MDs and the industry in general associate talent and quality with the # of years you have struggled and put into your work.....that being said, with these reality shows, the exposure to the young kids comes fairly easily than what it would have been for them 5-10 years back....take the example of Sonu or Kunal Ganjawala.

The risk of having success so early on in their lives makes these singers forget what made them successful and what it takes to establish themselves in the real world....unless they work hard and strive to be the best, some other new comer will take the limelight away from them....

Any art or sports needs practice to be mastered and performed at a high level consistently.....unless these new comers work hard, the success will be very shortlived. I think that's the sentiment expressed in everyone's statements in the article above.

Originally posted by: mdroy

I saw this article - -it is kind of depressing. I cannot believe that a
classically trained singer like Sharib would not be to standard. Is this Lalit
of Jatin Lalit? I really feel like sharib does better than the original singer in
many songs so I disagree. Please post your opinions.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1676755.cms
Criticised for lacking originality, winners of reality shows fail to strike the
right note in the Indian music industry.

A year after their much-hyped victory on popular TV shows, Abhijit
Sawant, the nation's first Indian Idol, Fame jodi Qazi Tauqeer and Roop
Rekha, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner Debojit are still to carve a place for
themselves in the music industry, much like VIVA and Asma, bands
formed with winners of the Kiska Band Bajega contest in the past.

Having shot to fame singing popular numbers and imitating established
singers, they still thrive on borrowed success, crooning songs of well
known music directors, lyricists and singers to keep themselves in the
public 'ear'.

"But what else do you expect?" asks music director Lalit, "The route these
young singers have taken to make a career in Bollywood is very
unprofessional.

There is no innovation in their performance. And how long can one live
off someone else's work? We don't want mimics but talented singers with
a style of their own."

Having judged shows to pick such winners himself, he avers, "Most of the
contestants are quite mediocre and require a lot of training to meet our
standards.

Take Ujjaini, Sunanda, Himani and Sharib for example. They all have sung
for me, par koi ga nahin paata hai (but nobody can sing). Yet they are
adjudged winners. How that happens is anybody's guess."

Agrees music director Aadesh Srivastava, "TV shows put us on the judges'
panel to pick out those with potential and yet, they go by what the public
votes say. We pick a candidate suitable for the music industry based on
our experience, but that is overlooked. Naturally, winners of such shows
chosen by the public's mandate will always be misfits in the music
industry since they are devoid of any talent. Na originality raheti hai, na
quality (There's neither originality nor quality). Be it Sonu Nigam, Anu
Malik, Himesh, Shaan or Lucky Ali, they have struggled for years to reach
where they are today and have not got success overnight."

Not just music directors, but event managers are also disillusioned by the
quality of goods being delivered by the winners of talent hunt shows. "On
TV, they all sound good but you have to work with them to know their
calibre. Take Debojit for instance: I was taken aback when he won the Sa
Re Ga Ma Pa contest.

I had worked with him a few years prior to his win. He participated in a
show organised by this UAE TV channel as a lead singer, but he could not
even get the notes right," says Rim Jhim, a Dubai-based event manager,
without mincing any words.

Nevertheless, the new kids on the block remain undeterred and feel
success is theirs despite all odds. Like Abhijeet Sawant, who has to his
credit a few albums of his own, "I agree that we are still forced to sing
numbers of well known singers instead of our own, in all the public shows
we perform. But once we start getting offers for playback singing, things
will change. I have given myself three years to establish myself, uske baad
dekhenge."

As grounded as he may sound, Qazi Tauqeer and Roop Rekha feel
otherwise: "We are performers, not just singers. Today people don't want
to hear someone just sing, they look for entertainment as well.

And that's what we provide," says Qazi. Pitches in the Bong singer, "Have
you seen Lataji singing on stage? She is totally deadpan, but watch our
shows, they are full of life. Yeh hai hamari originality. Yes, we don't sing
our own songs but the unique way in which we render these songs, sets
us apart." They are singing their own tune, indeed!

anjali.singh@timesgroup.com

when Jatin Lalit or for that matter Adesh talk, they talk through experience, specially having seen these aspiring singers, live in action, without cuts by Gajji...you ,on reading the articles, are not competent enough to pass any judgement of capabilities or shortcomings of like of Sharibs....

Go and see them sing live while the shooting is going on..and you will know.

And to say Sharib sings better than many original singers, is amith which like of you will always live in....

Qazi n RR are just performers. why the hell did they take part in a singing contest, or was FG not a singing contest😕

wat 2 say donno. probably, they r looking 4 sonuji type singer. sharib has full talent with him, but, now lalitji needs 2 give him chance 2 sing at least 100 songs for filming like sonu then they can compare.

My comments in Bold:

Criticised for lacking originality, winners of reality shows fail to strike the right note in the Indian music industry.

Why should these singers be criticised for lack of originality? If the show rules insist that they sing songs from movies, what is the harm if the sing the song as it is sung? When Sonu Nigam started, people said he lacked originality and sounded like Rafi, can that statement be valid today ?

A year after their much-hyped victory on popular TV shows, Abhijit Sawant, the nation's first Indian Idol, Fame jodi Qazi Tauqeer and Roop Rekha, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner Debojit are still to carve a place for
themselves in the music industry, much like VIVA and Asma, bands formed with winners of the Kiska Band Bajega contest in the past.

The reason for this is simple. None of these singers came up through judged shows but because of audience voting. Nihira didn't win the competition, but she got the most singing offers than all the above mentioned names. VIVA and Asma were good bands, and even now I shall say that their music is really good. They lost out because bands aren't very successful in India because there is no pop culture unlike in Pakistani. Every singer who starts off with pop albums eventually coems to Bollywood like Kunal, Shaan, K.K. Comparing Viva or Asma to Debojeet, Abhijeet or Qazi is inconclusive

Having shot to fame singing popular numbers and imitating established singers, they still thrive on borrowed success, crooning songs of well known music directors, lyricists and singers to keep themselves in the
public 'ear'.

GIVE THEM ORIGINAL SONGS IN COMPETITIONS AND THEN SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO BEFORE BLAMING THEM. In the competition organized by V, Super Singer, all the top 25 had to sing a new song and through out that competition, they sang some new songs. Though barring Naresh Iyer (RDB fame) none of them really made a mark, atleast we all agree who ever heard them that they were genuinely good. The top 5 atleast.

"But what else do you expect?" asks music director Lalit, "The route theseyoung singers have taken to make a career in Bollywood is very unprofessional.

There is no innovation in their performance. And how long can one live off someone else's work? We don't want mimics but talented singers with a style of their own."

Sorry Lalit ji, that is an extremely silly statement to make. If you feel this route is easy, protest against it. Why did you agree to take part in such a show. And besides, how is this route unprofessional. In an industry where you need contacts, vaasta and something more to make a name for yourself, what is wrong in taking support of a singing show to make a name for yourself? Its not unporfessional at any cost. Most of the singers who came on SRGMP atleast aren't faaltoo singers. Singers like Nihira, Hemachandra come with years of practice in such a young age. For them,its a passion and they are pursuing it. Yes, they might lack a bit originality, but we all do. Our voice and singing style gets changed with experience and age. Again quoting Sonu Nigam example

Having judged shows to pick such winners himself, he avers, "Most of the contestants are quite mediocre and require a lot of training to meet our standards. Take Ujjaini, Sunanda, Himani and Sharib for example. They all have sung for me, par koi ga nahin paata hai (but nobody can sing). Yet they are adjudged winners. How that happens is anybody's guess."

This is rubbish again. First of all, Ujjaini, Swananda, Himani and Sharib were never winners. And for god's sake have some consistency in what you say. He himself said that Ujjaini's black performance was mindblowing. Why say she can't sing. Sorry to say this, but just because you are a music director, please dont pass statements like the above singers can't sing. Comment on some other singers who clearly have been off sur, yes, makes sense. But to say that about Himani and Sharib is just outrageous.

Agrees music director Aadesh Srivastava, "TV shows put us on the judges' panel to pick out those with potential and yet, they go by what the public votes say. We pick a candidate suitable for the music industry based on
our experience, but that is overlooked. Naturally, winners of such shows chosen by the public's mandate will always be misfits in the music industry since they are devoid of any talent. Na originality raheti hai, na
quality (There's neither originality nor quality). Be it Sonu Nigam, Anu Malik, Himesh, Shaan or Lucky Ali, they have struggled for years to reach where they are today and have not got success overnight."

I agree with AS about public voting. This is probably the most sensible statement in the whole article. Yes, due to public voting, good talent is ignored. But then, if you know this is the problem, you must give oppurtunity to the singers who u felt were good in the reality shows to prove the point that how silly is public voting at times. AS did that in Alag. He said that he isn't gonna take newcomers but I wish he would reconsider. Because hearing Nihira and Hemachandra in that song made that song so fresh which Kunal, Shaan and Gayatri weren't able to infuse.

Not just music directors, but event managers are also disillusioned by the quality of goods being delivered by the winners of talent hunt shows. "On TV, they all sound good but you have to work with them to know their calibre. Take Debojit for instance: I was taken aback when he won the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest. I had worked with him a few years prior to his win. He participated in a
show organised by this UAE TV channel as a lead singer, but he could not even get the notes right," says Rim Jhim, a Dubai-based event manager,without mincing any words.

Again, public voting

Nevertheless, the new kids on the block remain undeterred and feel success is theirs despite all odds. Like
Abhijeet Sawant, who has to his credit a few albums of his own, "I agree that we are still forced to sing
numbers of well known singers instead of our own, in all the public shows we perform. But once we start getting offers for playback singing, things will change. I have given myself three years to establish myself, uske baad
dekhenge."

Abhijeet is right. This is because in the shows we have heard them sing songs sung by other singers and we know what is their strenght and what is not. So audience vote when they like their singing. So they want to hear more of that. If the shows insist on giving new songs always, then the story will be very different.

As grounded as he may sound, Qazi Tauqeer and Roop Rekha feel otherwise: "We are performers, not just singers. Today people don't want to hear someone just sing, they look for entertainment as well. And that's what we provide," says Qazi. Pitches in the Bong singer, "Have
you seen Lataji singing on stage? She is totally deadpan, but watch our shows, they are full of life. Yeh hai hamari originality. Yes, we don't sing our own songs but the unique way in which we render these songs, sets
us apart." They are singing their own tune, indeed!

OH MY GOD. RUPREKHA, YOU WILL ROT FOR SAYING THAT STATEMENT !! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HEAR YOURSELF SING AND PERFORM BEFORE PASSING SUCH STATEMENTS. Sorry if i am offending any Qazi or RR fans by this but that is just outrageous. Of all the people, Qazi and RR saying that is pathetic.Where are they now ? Abhijit Sawant gives concerts once a while so atleast we know he is alive. These 2 are no where to be seen. Their Yeh Pal was just miserable, no tune, no feeling, it was a 'deadpan' song. My dear girl, what do you mean by people want performers? Performers - Singing when you claim to be singers is absoulte bulls**t. So many performers like that came and are in obscurity now because they cant sing for nuts. If Ruprekha thinks their performance is original, they should watch more TV. Sonu Nigam is the BEST example of singing + performance. And besides, who wants people to dance on stage n do all nonsense like that? I remember what Shaan said to Nihira whe she sang Oh Saathi Re that You dont need to move because with a voice like that you move our souls. And that is the ultimate

My comments: I think the root cause for this is because people dont vote for singing. Its not that they vote for X factor as well, because if that was the case, Panna Gill or Vinit would have won their respective competitions. Today voting has become the reason to divide the country. Reality TV is causing a lot of money and TRPs for the channels. But at the cost, it is dividing the country.

Sorry for the long post but that had to be said !!

OH MY GOD. RUPREKHA, YOU WILL ROT FOR SAYING THAT STATEMENT !! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HEAR YOURSELF SING AND PERFORM BEFORE PASSING SUCH STATEMENTS. Sorry if i am offending any Qazi or RR fans by this but that is just outrageous. Of all the people, Qazi and RR saying that is pathetic.Where are they now ? Abhijit Sawant gives concerts once a while so atleast we know he is alive. These 2 are no where to be seen. Their Yeh Pal was just miserable, no tune, no feeling, it was a 'deadpan' song. My dear girl, what do you mean by people want performers? Performers - Singing when you claim to be singers is absoulte bulls**t. So many performers like that came and are in obscurity now because they cant sing for nuts. If Ruprekha thinks their performance is original, they should watch more TV. Sonu Nigam is the BEST example of singing + performance. And besides, who wants people to dance on stage n do all nonsense like that? I remember what Shaan said to Nihira whe she sang Oh Saathi Re that You dont need to move because with a voice like that you move our souls. And that is the ultimate

My comments: I think the root cause for this is because people dont vote for singing. Its not that they vote for X factor as well, because if that was the case, Panna Gill or Vinit would have won their respective competitions. Today voting has become the reason to divide the country. Reality TV is causing a lot of money and TRPs for the channels. But at the cost, it is dividing the country.

Sorry for the long post but that had to be said !!

Agreed...lol...rellly agreed 👏 👏
I have no idea how Ruprekha or Qazi can be so lowly to make that pathetic statement. Dont wanna offend anybody, but Qazi's voice, especially in his dear dear album, can't move anyone so. And i dont want to get started on Ruprekha... if they really feel that performance needs more attention...well its karma really... making such low statements only brings low success.

Then why did Aadesh give chance for Hemu, Nihira and Ujjaini to sing in his film Alag?

J/L promised Ujjaini for songs and J said i will sell my house for Sharib to get into the industry.. So, these weren true comments.. Why do these popular figures, figure them up wrongly everytime...

And yes, main point, How can Qazi pass such comments on Lataji? Does he mean he is a very good singer than Lataji, Oh then he must be given Bharat Ratna 😒

OK then, these kids are no good for playback, huh? Then what about these promises (these are not the exact words but they convey what was said)

HR to Nihira - char din ke baad film city me recording ke liye ana -- in prelim round
HR to Nanu on his exit -- tum ek din mera gana jaroor gaoge
Alka to Aishwarya on his exit -- main tumhe mere saath ek duet gaane ke liye jaroor lungi
Sameer to Paresh -- main tunhe mera likha hua geet gaane ke liye jaroor dunga
Jalit to Sharib -- Tumhe mumbai me rakhane ke liye mujhe mera flat bechana pada to bhi....
ID to Sharib -- Lata-ji ab bahar gaon gayee hai. Woh aane ke baad, unke saath tum mera duet gaonge.

If these folks weren't good, why did the mentors/judges give them promises? I think they had to show their commitment to the program to get their show appearance "fee" from Zee. Once they got it, they seem not to care about the promises anymore.