In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Abhay speaks candidly about his music career, his memorable moments with AR Rahman, Ajay-Atul, Pritam and Harris Jayaraj, his tough times and how he was nearly replaced by Arijit Singh in Mere Naam Tu.
Tell us about the kind of response you’re getting for your latest single Pyaar Ho Gaya.
The response is pretty good. I’m really happy that the song has already featured on three playlists. And for an indie song to do so well, it’s really a big deal. I’m glad that people are loving it. It has the 90s charm and I instantly connected with it. The music composer thought that this song would work for my voice. I am happy to be part of it.
Were you apprehensive about the song getting accepted or rejected by the audience?
No. I was not apprehensive. In fact, I have never never sung any song which belongs to that balloon. I would say before I begin recording, you’re apprehensive about how it’s going to be received. But that’s not how I look at. I just give my best and leave it up to the universe to take care of the rest. And let the people decide if it’s working or not. So far, I have only had good things that people have to say about me.
You made your Hindi debut by becoming the voice of Shah Rukh Khan in Mere Naam Tu from Zero. How was the feeling?
I feel really grateful and lucky to be launched with the Mere Naam Tu song because it’s such a big one. It is not something that Shah Rukh Khan can lip sync to every other day. I’ve had a big body of work down South. But in Hindi, nobody actually knew me when I was being launched. There was a pressure from the labels to have Arijit Singh on board. But Ajay-Atul put their foot down and said, ‘No, Abhay has done a great job. So let’s not replace it.’ I feel surreal and validated with my Bollywood break. It was definitely worth the wait. I have been doing scratches for the past 10 years. My first song was launched down South in 2013. After that, I got several opportunities but it didn’t work out. Because everyone is looking for big names and labels want to be secure about the singers’ names showing up in the credit list.
Did you get a chance to interact with Shah Rukh Khan?
Yes, we were on the sets of SaReGaMaPa where I was on the jury’s panel. That’s when we got a chance to have a brief, five minute conversation. He was very gracious. I remember he said that singers like you make us look good on screen in songs, so thank you for that. And he was very humble and very sweet about it. I was quite surprised. I had only heard about Shah Rukh Khan being very humble, very down-to-earth. But I got to witness that firsthand. That was the only interaction we’ve had so far.
Did the fact that you started off with a Shah Rukh Khan film prove to be beneficial for your music career?
Yes. I think that song was the perfect one for everyone to get acquainted with my voice. Mere Naam Tu showcases a big range, it is classically driven. Whoever I’ve met so far in the industry, people who are not even aware of my name, remember me through this song. Luckily, I got good recognition.
What sort of work or songs are you looking for right now?
I’ve been singing for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries. The idea is to now focus on playback singing in terms of each language. I’m also working on my independent music, which I will be releasing soon. I have also done a few singles, and that’s an ongoing process. My focus is on making more content right now.
Tell us about your memories working with AR Rahman, Pritam, Harris Jayaraj and Ajay-Atul.
I remember, I was doing B Tech in biotechnology at SRM University, Chennai. I was also studying part time music classes with AR Rahman sir in his school KM Music Conservatory. That’s where he first spotted me. I was bunking classes just to be able to record with him. He was very happy to know that I was doing studies and music together. The kind of interactions I’ve had with him have been very inspiring. He kind of shaped me up. I was a student from his academy. He’s always given me spiritual guidance or in terms of even musicality or technicality. I must have recorded around 40 to 50 times with him and each time was an enriching experience.
Pritam da is always fun to work with. The recordings usually happened late at night and there’s a lot of comfort because he lets you be, he gives you freedom. It’s always fun and casual. With Harris sir, if I had to pick out a day, it would be the studio in Chennai, which was basically inaugurated with me. I recorded the first song Helena in the studio. We took about four to five hours just to get the sound of my voice correct. Harris sir is really amazing at mixing and mastering songs.
With Ajay-Atul, I would say, they let me do my own improvisations. We started recording Mere Naam Tu around 9 pm and by 11 pm Aanand L Rai sir, who’s famously known for being a foodie, got hungry. He said, ‘Yeah, let’s order some vada pav.’ And Ajay sir replied, ‘No, no, no, his voice is sounding great right now. Let’s not break that. Later, we’ll have a lot of food. So Aanand sir ko 1 hour bhukha rakha (Aanand sir was hungry for an hour) and then I tried my level best to finish it ASAP. We bonded over similar tastes, music, movies, culture, and what not.
Singers often complain about not getting paid for scratch recordings and eventually getting rejected. What do you feel?
I understand the pain because I’ve also been through that. But that’s just how the industry works. Unfortunately, I must have had hundreds of scratches that were rejected after I got Mere Naam Tu finalized. It’s painful and heartbreaking. Sometimes you doubt yourself and become insecure. It doesn’t validate your talent and you start thinking maybe you’re not good enough. But it’s a journey that everyone has to make because beggars can’t be choosers. Just because your scratches are rejected doesn’t mean that you’re a bad singer. Even Sonu Nigam’s scratches get rejected. It’s just about what producers and what labels want.
Have you been rejected or replaced by other singers?
Yeah. Several times. But I don’t take that personally. If a producer is investing money in a project, they will want to play it safe. Sometimes, they have made mistakes, come up with bad ideas in terms of commercial numbers. There’s no formula or certainty to what will work. Sometimes the replacement doesn’t even sound as good as the original singer’s rendition. There have been times where I was disappointed when suddenly someone replaced my work. I would not like to name the singer but it sounded like shit. But the song worked despite being a bad rendition. It’s not easy to give all your heart and love to the song, to make it your own. Someone steals that idea and then uses that and gets the recognition. That is definitely bothersome. But I have made peace with it now and left it to destiny. After I sing a song, I forget about it. That’s the best way to be peaceful.
What is your idea of a dream project?
I would love to do an Indo-Western symphony concert in which the melody is Indian, but the arrangement is Western. Something where Indian classical meets western classical. That’s something that I really want to work towards. I’m also a visually driven person. So an act is equally important.
