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You probably know him better as the Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag guy. Big bro Daler Mehndi’s youngest sibling, Mika is back on the scene with his new album Dunalli - Rifle. Strange name? A half an hour chat with Mika and all the strange things in his life fall into place…
‘Dunalli - Rifle’ isn’t that strange…
I have been in this field for 15 years. I have seen many albums become big hits. But I have also noticed that even though the songs of the album become famous, most people do not remember the name of the album. For example, there was a song called Tutak Tutak Tutiyan which did very well. But people didn’t remember the album name, which was Sajna O Sajna. I have given my album names that people can remember. Talk about my first album, Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag or Ishq Brandy or Gabru, they are all different. These names generate excitement, interest and curiosity even before people hear the songs. By the way, the word Dunalli is quite famous in Punjab. Dunalli is basically a double barrel gun.
Besides Punjabi pop, Dunalli also has love songs and ghazals…
The album has a mix of Punjabi and Hindi songs. I have used hip-hop, fusion, folk and rap. Even the ghazal is westernized. I have tried to give people a good variety in this album. Listeners will get a good mix of different genres here. So even if they don’t understand Punjabi, they can still enjoy the songs.
Always a livewire performer on stage…
I always try to give my songs a ‘live’ feel – even when I am recording in a studio. So while recording, even if I make a mistake I don’t correct it. I want my fans to feel that Mika is singing amongst them and he can make mistakes. Most playback singers practice a lot and then give a perfect, faultless rendering. That kills the ‘liveness’ of the song. My shows are also different from other shows. Most Bollywood shows have the same songs, same melodies and everything is decided beforehand. The artists rehearse days in advance. I don’t plan my stage shows in this manner. What if I practice a song and go but the audience doesn’t like it on that day? The idea of a live show is that if my audience wants to listen to a song, I should be able to perform it then and there.
A Bhojpuri album is on the cards…
I want to do songs with Bhojpuri lyrics on Punjabi music. Let’s hope my company gives me enough space and time so that my next album is out only after two years.
The secret of success…
You may be surprised to know that I am more a music director than a singer. It’s nice that people have accepted me as a singer but I sing to promote music not my voice. Most pop artists are just singers. They do not have enough knowledge of the music. For example, pop singers need to understand western music really well. Just by singing one doesn’t become a pop singer. Also, most pop singers expect instant fame and money. I got success after 15 years. This patience is a must. Besides, people have really appreciated my live shows. Thousands of people stay glued to my shows for hours at length. This I think has helped me lot.
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