BENGALURU: From being a struggling musician to winning the Padma Shri for his contribution to music, Kailash Kher has been on a long journey. “I could never have imagined that I would be here when I first started, but I always knew that I wanted to be a singer and lyricist,” said Kher, who was in the city for a performance with his band Kailasa at Orion mall over the weekend. “It is very easy to give up when you’re first starting off as a musician. I came to Mumbai with my dreams in 2001 and encountered a lot of obstacles and dangerous thoughts started swirling in my head. I even thought of ending my life. There was something in me that didn’t allow it though,” said the musician.
The vocalist who grew up in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, had his first brush with music during his childhood when his father would sing traditional folk songs. As of today, Kher has sung over 700 songs and has realised his aspiration of pursuing music full-time. His first composition was even mistaken for another prominent musician’s composition. “I was very disheartened, because when you create something you have the dream of seeing your name attached to it. You learn from all these experiences, how to accept these situations with grace and not let it turn you pessimistic,” he said.
The singer had announced early this year that he would be opening the Kailash Kher Academy For Learning Arts in an attempt to provide some guidance for aspiring musicians and help them find a suitable role in the world of music. “My academy is more about finding the source for the inspiration. It will include a lot of content about spirituality and finding that within yourself. This is because I have found that is where my music comes from,” he said.
For Kher, his lyrics take primacy over instrumentals. “You remember songs because of the lyrics while singing with your friends. I find that the right lyrics create more impact,” he said, explaining when he is composing, lyrics don’t always come first. “I find that my music is like a stream of water, which finds its own way and often comes together organically,” he added.