Expresso catches up with Mohit Chauhan who was in the city to perform at Octoberfest.
You are a post-graduate in geology. How come you stepped into music?
I was born and brought up in Himachal Pradesh. Like a regular kid, I did my schooling and college. But music was with me always. I remember people pushing me on to the stage to sing when I was in school. After college, I wanted to find a career in geology. But destiny got me to become a musician. I was neither trained in music nor did I have any studio experience. I came to the city and I was offered a jingle. So I wrote a jingle for this brand of basmati rice sold in Europe. After that, I got a few offers and soon, I met my bandmates.
What in your opinion has changed the most in the music industry from the 1990s when your band Silk Route was at its best?
From 1996-98, a lot of music was visible on television. Today, music channels don’t play music anymore. Also, people are downloading a lot of music from the internet, and piracy has shot up. It’s unfortunate. But one of the ways to overcome that is by doing more concerts.
You’ve been receiving a lot of awards lately. Are awards necessary to keep a singer going?
It’s not necessary. But it is definitely encouraging. That’s how people tell you that you've officially done a good job.
After the success of your debut solo album, Fitoor , when can we see the next one?
I am currently working on it. It’s still in the making. I'm hoping to release it next year.
Why does Parikrama maintain your website? No clash of interests?
Subir Malik from Parikrama has an artiste management company. And he takes care of me. And we have no clash of interests at all. I have my own sounds, and it is well defined.
How do you define your sounds?
My sounds have a certain level of folk influence. I play the guitar and harmonica. And I’ve also been influenced by the sounds I heard while I was growing up — Simon and Garfunkel, Jetro Tull and so on. It’s a free flowing chain in my head.
When you sing for movies, do you sing for the character, or is it ‘Mohit Chauhan’ always?
When I sing a film song, I am usually given a brief about the story and what will be shown on the screen. I keep those things in mind while I sing, and I am guided by the music director and the film director. Finally, you sing with the emotion they want.
So, you prefer the freedom you have with your solo projects?
I prefer both! But true, I have complete freedom while I work on my albums.
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