Kailash Kher’s new album Kailasa Chaandan Mein released on June 19, 2009, and has already started selling well. What’s more, he’s continuing his foray in playback singing, not just for Bollywood but also for international projects for Hollywood.
You got married five months ago. How has the journey been for you so far?
I was reluctant initially, but I am glad I took the decision. My life has been so much better ever since Sheetal (my wife) came into my life. Through her I have begun to look at relationships very differently, much more seriously. In this industry of glamour and sheen, I am glad to find a partner who keeps me grounded. In fact, she listened to my songs, helped me cope with the difficult days and eased away all the tension that I felt prior to the release of the album.
Non-film music has been suffering losses in India, and music companies are shying away from releasing private albums. There’s rampant piracy and illegal downloading of music. Why, then, did you decide to release another album with your band Kailasa?
The reason I decided to release the album was because I had received a very good response to my earlier non-film music work. I had a bank of songs, and I wanted to create and offer the magic to my fans once again. And while there’s illegal downloading of songs from the Net — which is sad — I find it heartening to see so many fans actually discussing songs from my previous albums and giving me so much positive feedback. However, I do wish the entire music industry worked towards eradicating piracy.
Tell us more about your new album.
The music and the lyrics in the new album are simple, pure and soulful. We have used a lot of traditional instruments in this new album. I would define it as organic, what with the use of acoustic instruments.
Not a single instrument you will hear in this album is electronically generated. If we wanted the sound of an instrument, we made sure to bring it from any part of the world; from the sand-dunes of Rajasthan to the jungles of Africa.
It takes a lot to create songs. Every tune, every word that we put into a song is a result of the painstaking effort of my band members Naresh, Paresh, Kurt Peters, Sanket, Shanky and Tapas Roy.
My only hope with this album was to let the music touch the souls of all the listeners. I’ve purposely interspersed the lyrics of different songs with rural dialects to convey the message of divine love and romance in my songs.
What projects do you have coming up, on the Bollywood front?
I am singing for a majority of big-budget films, including the Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Qurbaan, Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey, Shahid Kapoor’s Pathshala and a couple of other Hollywood projects with music director A R Rahman.