BY MAHAK DAGAR
With a stunning discography and a voice that transcends boundaries, Shilpa Rao is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Her recent songs ‘Besharam Rang’ and ‘Chuttamalle’ have gone viral, becoming instant hits. We had the privilege to speak to her before her win at IIFA Awards ‘24 for Best Playback Singer (Female).
Your journey has been so incredible in the music industry, the trajectory is commendable. What has motivated you to become a playback singer and as your career has evolved, how have you maintained that evolution?
It’s very important to listen to different kinds of music and that’s something which I have always loved to do. It’s something that is probably a bigger love than singing itself. So when you listen to different music it really starts stimulating your mind to do different things. I think it’s just a chain reaction then so eventually you become what you absorb.
Could you tell us about some of the genres and artists you listen to?
From ghazal to western classical music, to jazz. My brother, Anurag, is a jazz pianist so growing up I listened to a lot of Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and with his jazz influence a beautiful world was opened up. Beyond that I love Kendrick Lamar, Santana, Sade, Sting, Edith Piaf, Fareedah Khanum.
Your voice carries so much emotion and nuance. How do you connect with the lyrics and ensure that what you sing is what you are bringing out?
It is necessary to fall in love with poetry for that. I was about 10/11 when I started listening to Ghazal which I still do and that made me appreciate the whole written world even more. I think, once you read through the lyrics you are singing, you kind of form an attachment and that’s how I express it.
Is there any poetry you really love?
Yes! Growing up I listened to Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmad Faraz, Momin Khan Momin, Mir Taqi Mir, Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq; the list is endless. On the other side you have Charles Bukowski, Mahmoud Darwish, W B Yeats, Shakespeare.
You have witnessed the changes Indian cinema music has undergone over the last few years. How do you ensure that your style aligns with these changes?
That’s where the listening comes in. What you listen to is what you do, what you read is what you write and what you eat is what you become, so it’s very simple.
We have seen a lot of technology permeate its way into the music industry. A recent trend has been the feeding of people’s voices into AI. As a musician, what’s your take on it?
You know whenever there is something new and everyone finds out about it, everyone goes really gaga and gets obsessed about it. We are probably in that stage right now; it’s too soon to say what it will become. I know it’s easy for AI to be fed with a discography of any artist and asked to reproduce it in answer format but if you had to create a voice from scratch, that only comes with time and experience in life. So I feel that we need to live with this whole situation, sleep on it for a little bit, and see where we stand with AI because with the reducing focus spans that we have I don’t know how long this will hold our attention. I am hoping people can see the natural
self that we all
are and appreciate that even more.
What advice would you have for any aspiring singer looking to break into the industry right now?
Learn the art form, learn the craft. It’s very important, it will change the way you look at it, the way you can think of music.
From your discography, is there any song or album that you hold close to your heart?
That will always be ‘Tose Naina.’ It was that first song and the innocence that it had, that one will always be special.
Your songs from ‘Devara’ have been going viral. How do you feel about that?
It’s great. We sing for you guys actually, at the end of the day, and to make that connection in the moment is really special.
If you could describe your musical journey, what would it be?
Lot’s of learning, and lots to learn; not just musically but personally as well.