They are the latest crooning glories of catwalk. Fashion designers are breaking out of their mould and getting innovative with their shows. Musicians of repute are being roped in to perform live on the ramp and add a new ambience and dimension to the sartorial creations. A trend that’s caught everyone’s fancy has witnessed top Indian designers opting for live singers, and even dancers, to specially perform for them at their fashion shows.
The master of drapes designer Tarun Tahiliani got a huge round of applause for getting qawwali singer Samandar Khan Manganiyar and his troupe, singing Sufi qualam Ali Maula on the runway, to soulful tunes of A.R. Rahman, as models sashayed down in their opulent best, with Shilpa Shetty as the showstopper. Tarun says, “Fashion shows are branding exercises, so a bit of novelty and fun are always welcome. For me, having live singers who fit in with the design sensibility and contribute to the atmosphere can be terrific.”
But Jattinn Kochhar who had singer Shibani Kashyap perform for him, feels, “Since I was showing a maternity line, Shibani Kashyap composed a beautiful ode to motherhood. She also sang for two of my other shows and since it was a Love collection, her fiancé proposed to her on the ramp. But I feel the clothes get diluted in the razzmatazz. That’s why I had Shibani at the beginning of the show and then the models took precedence. The singers must come at the fag end or the beginning of the show to avoid a tussle between the designer and the performer. Also, if the collection isn’t stunning, the singer can steal the show and the designer’s creations might recede to the background. I like pure fashion and find the tamasha annoying.”
Award-winning textile and fashion designer Gaurang Shah admits that though it’s an expensive affair to get a reputed singer to perform live, it is well worth the cost. Gaurang, who got a rave response for his recent show which had Shubha Mudgal singing live, explains, “Models walking the ramp on live music is a complete shift from a catwalk on recorded music. Although it’s expensive, the whole atmosphere gets charged up. For an earlier show, I had a live violinist and tabla player for a patola collection. They complemented each other well and everyone loved the surprise element.”
Devising a wise way to keep the focus on his six-yard wonders instead of it shifting to the singer and yet keeping the excitement alive, Gaurang adds, “Shubha sang a classical song, Chitrasena rang di chunar, at this year’s LFW for me and composed the bols specially for my designs with names of animals, since my ‘Chitrasena’ collection had garuda, hamsa, shikarga, sher (tiger), bagha (leopard) and haathi (elephant) woven on Kanjeevaram saris. And though she was singing live, she was backstage and that kept the attention on the clothes.”
A new kid on the block who made girls go weak in the knees when he sang live for designer Manoviraj Khosla’s show is Behram Siganporia from the band One Nite Stand. “The value Behram added surpassed all the costs. I’ve done shows in five cities with him and we’re doing more together. We worked out the entire sequence and were in complete sync. I personally picked the songs. Though live music is more expensive than recorded music, it provides novelty and fun on the ramp. Everyone in the audience had a smile. It has to be a happy marriage between the designer and the singer,” says Manoviraj.
It also leaves us wondering if the artistes have to make peace with new age means of promoting themselves. Behram agrees, “Manoviraj’s bold and retro glam collection goes with my music. So why not?”
The costs vary for different singers and different venues and could range from Rs 1 lakh to around Rs 5 lakh, depending on the status of the singer. Designer duo Ashima and Leena showcased their ‘Jashn’ range at the BMW India Bridal Fashion Week 2014 amidst live vocals of Kutle Khan, digital console of Gaurav Raina of Midival Punditz and flute by Pandit Ajay Prasanna.
Designer Anita Dongre signed sitarist Niladri Kumar for a live performance to accompany her ‘India Modern’ collection show. Anita says, “Pandit Niladri Kumar’s music was a perfect amalgamation of soul-stirring composition and ethereal melody — an accurate depiction of the sensibility of my collection. Having an artist on board adds to the magnificence of the show, as a live performance makes the show more inclusive and less passive at the same time adding to its grandeur, spectacle and theatrical element. He offered a fitting complement to the collection as the raag he played matched the emotion of my collection. It’s the coming together of two creative people, and it only heightens and elevates the audience’s experience, and leaves a lasting impact.”
Contemporary dancer Astad Deboo was the muse for designers Monica and Karishma of Jade at LFW, while designer Ritu Beri had classical singers Sunanda Sharma and Jassi for her ‘Punjabi Rock & Roll’ collection at LFW.
Despite having a live band once for their show, Monapali feels it’s too much of an effort and if the coordination fails, it could be a disaster. “Live singer on the ramp can make or mar the whole look. Indians have a mindset that fashion shows are synonymous with entertainment, whereas in Paris there are only serious buyers, so if rehearsed well, live music can add to the entertainment quotient of the show,” says Mona Lamba.
