Singer Nakash Aziz is keen on striking a balance between mainstream and independent music. The composer-turned-vocalist has voiced the Tamil and Telugu versions of the song Vashemalle in the recently released Thugs of Hindostan; he has also sung the Hindi version of the song Rakshassi in Sankar’s 2.0. Meanwhile, Nakash’s first ever single, Heeriye, was picked up by Sony Music India and clocked more than 6 million views on YouTube.
A former assistant of AR Rahman on films like Delhi 6, Highway and Raanjhaana, Nakash has delivered popular and catchy hits like Selfie Le Le Re from Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Jabra Fan from Fan, and most recently, Gold Tamba in Batti Gul Meter Chalu.
An instantly recognisable voice in Hindi film music, the 33-year-old singer feels the need to explore more personal territory with his upcoming projects, which he says brings him more artistic satisfaction. “When you are shooting your own music video, you are involved in every level of the production. For Heeriye, we made elaborate storyboards and shot the video in Kashmir. It was almost like making a short film. With film tracks, all that is taken care of. Films usually have higher budgets and great technicians to give you that production value.”
Another security with film tracks, he adds, is being guaranteed a few million views and hits. “They have great teams who ensure a certain buzz. With an independent video, no matter how good, there’s always a risk of falling short on views. But at the end of the day, it’s all about making music. Whether I do it for a film, or for my own pet project, it doesn’t really matter.”
About his relationship with ARR, the singer says, “I have a very spiritual connection with Rahman. Most of our conversations revolve around spirituality. He reached out to me to assist him on Delhi 6. We have shared a good relationship for 9-10 years now.
Even at his stature, he is constantly trying to learn more about his craft. He is also an extremely humble person. Maybe because he is so quiet, people might not feel like approaching or disturbing him. But in reality he is a very approachable and cool guy.”For now, Nakash is focused on his personal compositions. “I’m not sure if it’ll be a single or a whole album. But you can expect a lot in 2019. It’s going to be fun.”