The Grammy award-winning Jai Ho singer, Tanvi Shah, who was in Dubai recently, tells City Times how A.R. Rahman mentored her and why she's not a fan of commercial Bollywood music
While it is a real privilege to be the only Indian woman to win the Grammy, it is also a lot of pressure. On that day (at the Grammys), going up on stage, I remember thinking that here I am, representing my country and the women of my country. It was a very proud moment. Since then, it has certainly opened doors for many other women to make a mark in the international music arena. And I am glad that I was, in some sense, an inspiration for them.
Rahman sir called me into the studio along with Gulzar saab to work on Jai Ho. And while I was singing the song he said he wanted to do something different and asked me if I could pen some lyrics in Spanish for the song. In the beginning, I felt apprehensive, but I went ahead and after I finished singing the song he said that was exactly what he was looking for. The thing about A.R. Rahman is that he always gets you to think out-of-the-box. He is always doing something new, something different.
I have been working with Rahman sir since 2003. So far it has been a rewarding experience because each time I come away from the studio, I feel like I have learnt something new about music and about my own voice. Recently, I worked with Rahman sir on the background score for Mani Ratnam's movie Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Other than that we've also worked on a couple of jingles.
Companies are packaging music differently now and personally I am not a big fan of commercial Bollywood music. Gone are the days of beautiful, meaningful lyrics. These days one hears songs about mixing drinks and shaking one's booty. Having said that, I think good music is also being produced. I see a lot of independent artists coming out with original stuff. The music industry has broken out of the notion that you need to sound like so and so. It is now very much about your personal style and giving music your own spin. I think like everything, it is a cycle. Music is going through this phase of commercialization, but I feel we are going to go back.
Around the time when my music career was taking off, I was listening to a lot of World Music and this led me to explore languages and genres other than Indian music. I love watching people talk and listen to the nuances in various languages. This led me to explore beyond the languages I grew up listening. I am equally comfortable singing in Western and Indian languages. As an artist you have to be versatile. You should be able to sing in any language. Because being an artist means you have the power to make a connection with your audience. If I am singing in Spanish and there is someone from Latin America in the audience, more often than not you see a smile on his or her face. As and artist, that smile is the greatest reward for me. Because that smile means that I was able to make a connection.
Diligence, dedication, discipline and punctuality. If you have these four qualities you can never go wrong. It might take time but if you focus and believe in yourself things will happen. Don't let anyone make you believe otherwise.
The Latin music industry welcomes artists with open arms. The never made me feel like an outsider. In fact, when they see someone from a completely different place singing in their language and actually making it, they love it. I have walked the Latin Grammy red carpet and also submitted a song. Hopefully, I can submit another song this time to the Latin Recording Academy and also get to see Wilmer Valderrama (actor, producer, singer) at the Latin Grammys!
Women's empowerment has become a buzz word these days. But sometimes what you see in the name of women's empowerment is not based on the idea of equality but misplaced feminism. In my view, women's empowerment is about uplifting and creating equal opportunities for women. It is about making them confident, independent and savvy so that they can allow their strengths to shine through.
I was in Dubai to sign an MoU with the Dubai-based group StratGurus to be the face and voice of their global campaign called 'Body not Commodity'. This initiative is spearheaded by Dr Tabassum Khan (Chairman of StratGurus) and through it, we are hoping to raise awareness about human trafficking for organ trade. This is a serious global issue and it is high time we did something about it.
I have been to Dubai four or five times to perform with A.R. Rahman and Yuvan Shankar Raja.
I have always believed that as humans we have to give back to society. And if you are a celebrity, then it becomes your duty to do so. For me giving back to society is not about supporting with money. It is about giving your time and effort to something you really believe in. It is about being present and really getting involved.
I'm coming out with a few singles and have started discussions on a project with Egyptian artist Hisham Kharma. The projects I am involved in will connect me with people from different cultures, ethnicities and languages. And this really has been my lifelong passion.