Suneeta Rao is one of the finest and most talented singers of the 80’s and 90s era. Some of her most successful chartbusters include the likes of Paree, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge, Aa Meri Life, Dekha Dekha, Parwana Deewana, Wajah Muskurane Ki & many more. Presently, she’s back with her latest song ‘Vaada Karo’ which is about spreading awareness regarding climate change. IWMBuzz engaged in an exclusive conversation with the talented singer to know more about her journey, Vaada Karo song, future plans & more. Read to find out –
Your song Paree Hoon Main is a rage. Did you expect it to be so successful?
Thank you for that! People always remember the first big hit of any artist, no matter what they come up with later on, like Careless Whispers by George Michael for example. But the song itself has a very special quality because of the way I was feeling at the time and because it was what people needed to hear then. I think it has stood the test of time because of the fact that I ensured that the lyrics and melody were created for the sole purpose of making the listener feel good about herself/himself & that’s where I think I succeeded. I asked the lyricist, the late Raajesh Johri to feel free to use soothing and sensual words like ‘guroor’ and ‘suroor’ and I said it didn’t matter whether the listeners understood the actual words as it was meant to just feel good. I am so grateful for all the love and respect I have received from my audience and continue to do so after three whole decades. Tbh, I did not expect it to be so successful. I thought the title song ‘Dhuan’ would be the hit but destiny willed otherwise.
When you entered the industry, recording labels were primarily the only option. Now we have YouTube for a budding artist to showcase his/her talent. What are the pros and cons of this?
I am happy that more and more artists are writing their own songs and have the online platform to release their music on their own without necessarily depending on a movie or a record label. I just hope they get more financial and promotional support from those who have the power to do so. And one has to know how to navigate social media and get the most out of it. Let me tell you it’s not easy if you don’t have the hang of it. I myself learnt so many things in this release which was completely online.
Tell us a bit about how pop music in India has evolved from the early 90s till now? What’s your observation?
Initially, Indi-Pop was just western music with Hindi lyrics. And it existed in Bollywood as well. There were various influences from all over the world like Latin, Hip Hop, Rock n Roll etc even in our movies. Right from “Eena Meena Deeka” to “Senorita” (Which is also the name of my first debut album). As time went by, independent artists started experimenting with more ‘fusion’ elements like using Indian classical instruments mixed with western production.
I started that in the ‘Dhuan’ album with ‘Parwana Deewana’ and ‘Paree’. In fact, my album Waqt & Indian Girl had a lot of Raga-based songs. As far as the industry was concerned, the sudden burst of interest in the 90’s – which was called the IndiPop Era got many record labels putting money into Pop artists. However, the novelty of that wore off soon and once again Bollywood was given more support. But artistes like me and my contemporaries had already put the foot in the door for other new independent artists to start releasing their own music albeit with a struggle due to lack of financial backing and that goes on even today. I would love to see more such artists in the future.
Tell us a little about Vaada Karo. What was the thought behind it? How did you come up with the single?
Vaada Karo is a pledge to fight climate change and spread awareness about it. I wrote the song when I was pregnant with my daughter, who is now 11, and features in the video. I woke up that morning thinking “What kind of world are we leaving for our children?” And the lyrics of the song just came pouring out: ”
Rivers drying, Children crying
Trees are falling, People dying
Ice is melting, Snow caps shrinking
Globe is burning, No one’s thinking
Weather’s changing, Clock is ticking
Seas are swelling, Cities sinking
Losing homes, No fault of theirs
I’ll make a change…
I swear!!”
Then, I approached one of my favorite music producers Dhruv Ghanekar, to compose it for me and he created the melody. After that, I got the Dharavi Rocks Band on board (I have been working with them for many years through the ACORN FOUNDATION and the Dharavi Project with Vinod Shetty), and they added the percussion and Hindi Rap and that’s how it became what it is today!
Every artist looks forward to some kind of inspiration to create an art form. What do you think is your biggest inspiration to create your music?
Anything that moves me or that I feel passionate about motivates me to create songs. It could be a loving gesture, an important social issue, or even just the desire to make people feel good and happy and take them away from the ordinariness of life.
Lastly, what’s next on the cards?
I can’t wait to get back on stage. I would love to do the Vaada Karo tour as planned. Also, I would love to do another run of my musical comedy “Gaa Re Maa” and perhaps some more theatre. As for a new song is concerned, let the whole world hear ‘Vaada Karo” first. Then, we will see.
Vaada Karo is currently available to stream on Hungama Artist Aloud. Let us know your views about the song in the comments section below and for more updates, stay tuned to IWMBuzz.com
