Synopsis
Playback singer Shalmali Kholgade opens up about her transition into Hindi film music from her band culture roots, reminiscing about her early career and the opportunities that shaped her path.Key Takeaways
- Shalmali Kholgade reflects on her 13-year journey in Hindi film music.
- She shares how band culture influenced her career.
- The serendipitous opportunity with Amit Trivedi led to her breakout song ‘Pareshaan’.
- Shalmali utilized digital demos during her college applications.
- Her experience highlights the evolving world of music production.
Mumbai, Feb 3 (NationPress) Playback singer Shalmali Kholgade, renowned for tracks like ‘Pareshaan’, ‘Balam Pichkari’, ‘Latt Lag Gayi’, and more, has recounted the journey that led her into the realm of Hindi film music.
In a recent conversation with IANS, she shared insights into her 13-year voyage in film music, her experience with band culture, and the serendipitous opportunity that arose after she completed her college education.
Reflecting on her past, Shalmali recalled landing the song ‘Pareshaan’ from the film ‘Ishaqzaade’, featuring Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor.
She explained to IANS, “At that time, Amit Trivedi (the music composer) was searching for a new voice. His studio’s producer or engineer, Anjo John, was dating a friend from college. He reached out to me because we were acquaintances and said, ‘Amit Trivedi is on the lookout for a fresh voice. Do you have any demos? Just send me anything, even if you have to record it on your phone’.”
Shalmali was in the process of applying to colleges overseas and lacked the financial means to attend auditions in person. Instead, she was sending video demos. This was a fortunate twist thanks to the emerging phase of information transfer and digitization.
She recounted, “I had two English demos. Should I send those?” He replied, “Whatever, just send it quickly because he's in immediate need of a voice. So, I sent two English songs: ‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, and ‘Summertime’, a classic jazz standard. Amit Trivedi found something special in my voice and invited me to sing ‘Pareshaan’. He literally positioned me between the staircase and the elevator and asked me to sing, ‘Main pareshaan, pareshaan, pareshaan, pareshaan, Kinare pe khadi’. He said, ‘Sing this four times.’ I was like, ‘Oh, okay.’”
She continued, “After singing, he inquired if I was available for a session to record the song. Having just completed my third year of college, I had no other commitments. So I eagerly said, ‘Yes, absolutely, I'm free.’ The following day, I arrived at the studio, but instead of recording ‘Pareshaan’, we ended up recording a jingle for Red FM.”
“That was a pivotal moment in my life when I realized, ‘What’s happening? What is this new world of studio music? So this is how it’s done! This is how people work.’ And yes, that was just the beginning,” she added.
