A voice that effortlessly touches your hearts and transcends boundaries of musical comprehension, Richa Sharma is every bit the composer’s delight. The critics and fans admire her enormous versatility. The songstress recently released her interpretation of the cult Sufi kalaam, Jogi De Naal, penned by Sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah, in collaboration with co-singers Prithvi Gandharv, Darshan Doshi, Sanjoy Das and Ishteyak Khan. Richa spoke elaborately on her experience in the Indian music industry and her latest musical offering.
How did Jogi De Naal happen?
Like people have been speculating, this is not a cover. We have not tampered or manipulated the original song. Our project is the culmination of an impromptu jam session with the musicians. The entire recording was live and not processed or auto tuned. Our song is as raw and soulful as it can get.
If we had orchestrated the song to premeditated synchronisation, the soul would have probably been lost. We wanted to achieve the kind of euphoric soulfulness that the audience would derive, after witnessing a moving live act.
We handpicked the most comprehensible of verses from Baba Bulleh Shah’s work so that the average listener can relate to it. Then we just went with the flow, and the song was recorded live, without any programming.
Did you base your interpretation on Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s acclaimed version?
No. The composition or intrinsic elements like the aalap, wasn’t premeditated or influenced from any pre-existing interpretation, including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s popular version. As much as I love his version, I ensured I didn’t listen to it while recording our song, since I didn’t want to be influenced by it. Moreover, it is impossible to reproduce the magic of Nusrat saab. Even an attempt would be a blunder.
What were your musical influences during your formative years?
I wasn’t exposed to classical music until I was eight. Having been born into a Brahmin family, I grew up listening to bhajans. My father, though classically untrained, had an absolutely captivating voice. I choose to believe I inherited my voice from him. His style has heavily influenced me. I also hugely admired Noor Jahan’s music. My initiation into classical music happened relatively late.
What has your Bollywood journey been like?
The late Aadesh Srivastava gave me my first Bollywood song. My songs from Taal, especially and Hera Pheri were quite popular. A. R. Rahman gave me the freedom to sing it my way. I respect him a lot because he was the catalyst for the turning point in my career. Similarly, Aadesh let me do my thing on the song Bidaai (from the movie Baabul). We recorded 15 minutes of the song, even though he used only two minutes for the film.
I had sung an even longer track for Aadesh in the movie Baghban. The journey has been extremely fulfilling. I am grateful for all the talented composers for letting me sing some memorable songs.
Which singers do you admire?
I love Arijit Singh’s voice. It is very magical. I also love Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan. This might sound unbelievable but when I heard Sunidhi’s Seekh Le from Munnabhai MBBS, I called her up and told her that she shouldn’t be singing like that since the rest of us will soon be unemployed. We both burst out laughing.
Any composer you’d love to work with?
I’d love to collaborate with Vishal Bhardwaj. He’s an amazing composer. I have worked with almost everyone else and I’d love to sing for him, as well.
