AR REHMAN INTERVIEW

Excerpts from an Interview:

There have been many talent hunt shows on air and you'll be judging the final episode of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. What do you think of young talents?

I was quite surprised by their standard. They stay away from cliches and display a positive attitude. The whole idea is to start a new way of making music. Youngsters are hooked to gadgets and are using short cuts to music. In the contest, you will see real musicians making real music. The other important thing is expression. When you are writing a film song, the script or the director's vision dictates. So songs are mostly about love or loss. Here they can write a song about anything, a statement which they want to make or a personal feeling. Apart from me there will be judges onboard including Sivamani and Vasundhara Das for the final episode of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

Do you find depth in their music?

One of the male singers among the contestant is mind blowing. To me he sounds better than any of the top singers in India. There were a lot of surprises. After grooming for 10 to 15 days, even the worst band became one of the best.

Are they all tech-savvy and is that an advantage?

Is identifying new talent part of your work?

Your mind kind of rusts, when you get complacent doing the same thing. It is boring. When you find something new it is exciting and rejuvenating. The winner will get to cut an album in my studio. But it is not going to be easy. To make it to the finals, the band has to sound good, the music should be from the heart and the compositions must be excellent, so many things matter.

What about those who came back through a wild card entry?

Sometimes you judge using certain yardsticks. But you should consider also the mental and physical condition of the participant during the contest, apply that and then judge.

Is judging easy?

It scares me. I have always wondered how can I judge somebody. That's why I have kept away from such contests and been declining invitations. This is the second time I am doing this for a television channel.

Is this a throwback to your earlier days when people discovered and encouraged you?

Well, I was discovered as an individual. Though I was part of a band. People then didn't take music bands seriously. When you said you were part of a band they would ask, 'what band, Gulab band, ah?'(which plays at weddings).

The more secure you are, the less worried you will be. You just have to believe that each person has his/her share, by the grace of God. If you lose, it will not be because of newcomers, it will be because of some other factors.

What are the kinds of work you want to do as a contribution to music?

There are so many things I want to do but the opportunities are few. I had toyed with the idea of starting a conservatory of classical music. But it is difficult. Though there is money and infrastructure, to get the right people involved is a problem.