In a time where the mainstream Indian music industry is terribly saturated, it becomes second nature to look back in nostalgic remembrance at figures which entire generations grew up watching or listening to. Kailash Kher is one such name. The popular singer-songwriter, who was in Bengaluru recently with his band Kailasa to perform at Bowring Institute, St Mark's Road, treated the audience to classics like Saiyyan and Teri Deewani, alongside what Kher called ‘spiritually-inclined songs’, like Kaun Hain Voh and Bam Lahiri.
Speaking of the city and its audience, Kher is all praise; “Bengaluru is a beautiful place with a very cosmopolitan culture. It’s always a very heartwarming response from the audience each time we perform. I remember, once, we were performing at Palace Grounds with AR Rahman, and it was raining. We performed for half an hour and the crowd was almost one lakh in capacity. The entire crowd used helmets and umbrellas but none left the grounds. Rain did not shake the event’s spirit,” he says.
It has been a long time since Kher released a full-length album with almost a decade having passed since his last full-length album, Ishq Anokha, and almost two decades since Jhoomo Re, which had one of his greatest hits, Saiyyan. Commenting on how release trends have changed, Kher mentions, “These days, traditional albums usually don’t get released the way they used to in the last decade, when CDs were a thing. Now, since everything is online, we keep releasing singles. In fact, within a few weeks, we are coming up with a new original single, which is in line with songs like Saiyyan, Teri Deewani and Piya Ghar Aavenge.”
When asked about the songwriting process itself, Kher stresses that not much has changed. “Our process is very traditional, very conventional, and very emotional. Sometimes, situations can inspire us to write something and that writing comes with the tune itself. Once the tune and writing are done, we go to our studio and the engineers basically do the sound programming according to the sensibilities that we brief, and then, when the first draft comes out, the structure is there. Then, we work with Naresh and Paresh Kamath mostly to produce it well.”
Kher denies any cultivated breakaway from making playback music for films, but admits his current focus is on touring with Kailasa. “We keep performing live; we also keep doing cinema recordings a lot but definitely not too much. Because too much quantity affects the quality of work,” he states. In terms of the present culture of consumption which, he admits, can sometimes turn towards ‘shallow entertainment’, a hopeful Kher says, “Kailasa’s music is widely accepted and appreciated, and for that we are really grateful to the universe. A unique sound and unique compositions emanate from Kailasa each time, whether it is romantic, inspirational, or spiritual music. All kinds of music are being accepted and appreciated.”