Sonu Kakkar: With experience, I have become choosy with my projects

Shikha Duggal

Playback singer and songwriter Sonu Kakkar has been a big name in the Indian music industry for a long time. The Pioneer connects with the singer for an exclusive chat, who takes us through her musical journey, as sweet as she is, just like her voice.

Sonu Kakkar currently rules the playback roost with an array of super-hit songs. The singer hardly ever receives any negative comments coming her way, as she is completely authentic in the way she sings.As the first person in her family to begin singing, she admits that coming to the city of dreams was the only final destination she had ever imagined.She has no regrets about not attending college, as she devoted all her time to striking a chord with her singing and becoming a big name in the music industry.

Well, she has done it! Let’s explore an exclusive interview with the Kakkar family’s oldest sibling today!

“For the whole world, Neha will be the number one singer; to me, she’s my child. I can go to any lengths for the love I have for her. I really appreciate this quality about her: regardless of her own exclusive interviews, she doesn’t forget to mention my name.She says I inspired her, it’s heartfelt. And Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan inspired me (she laughs) That Sufi devotional music draws me! Whenever I perform on the Coke Studio platform, most of the elements are drawn from the way he has sung. My foundation as a singer is based on him,” said the singer of London Thumakda.

She began with singing bhajans and has progressed to becoming a well-known playback singer. Hailing from a spiritual city, Rishikesh, she shared, “It’s the city of meditation. I don’t call it a city, to me, it’s a cosy town where my fondest memory was sitting on the ghats. It’s full of ashrams, with its core belief being spirituality.The point of attraction is only that when you are tired of fast living, you can always find solace there. Moving ahead, I realised that although it’s the most beautiful town for me, I couldn’t have grown up there as a musician. It was a reality check! Music is not their forte.”

When history is written, it will be clear that Sonu Kakkar established the Kakkar family’s legacy. “I don’t continue to work exhaustingly now, unlike my childhood. I go on vacations. But I cannot ever think of giving up on music. Singing is holy for me. I eat, love, and pray music. And with experience, I am becoming a little picky, too. I don’t want to grab every and any project offered to me now. During my childhood, I had no choice, but now I do!”

The famous movie Dum, helmed by Vivek Oberoi and Dia Mirza, was the beginning of Sonu Kakkar’s entry into the film fraternity, and she can never forget it. She continues, “There is no helplessness today, I sing because I feel so.Those were the days when I was a child, but not any longer. I do Coke Studio as well nowadays.They have another way of spreading the magic of songs globally! If some songs start to trend because of famous names, some just trend because of their originality, like Madari. People started calling me a magician after its success! When I start singing, you’ll see me going insane with the voice, just like Neha does.”

More familiar with stage shows, she never imagined a time would come when remixes would start crooning like madness and her siblings would be targeted. On a heartbreaking note, she defended, “For them, it’s just a “project” that has come their way.They do not want to intentionally damage the originals. They have no expectations from the haters anymore, they are tired and sick of it. I have seen some fans who hum their remixes more than the originals; that’s courteous for the family. I urge the fans to think larger now, it’s difficult for my siblings to tolerate the meek loathing sometimes. Nevertheless, I can see they are becoming more forbearing too. Remixes are just a second imagination.”

She didn’t stop there; she also revealed, “My heart is wounded when I see a few people trying to always bog down my siblings.There were times when Neha used to feel very disheartened, and I used to make her understand how this industry works. She’s a very pappy kind of person, and when people make fun of her emotions on national television, that’s just so insensitive. But she’s up for it now; bring it on!”