Never thought my music would bring me money: Ash King

Singer Ash King, who gradually gained a foothold in Bollywood after getting a break with music maestro A R Rahman, says he never thought that his talent would bring him money.
Ash is a singer of Bengali and Gujarati origin. He made his playback singing debut with Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's "Delhi 6" in 2009.
He has not taken any formal training in singing but has given memorable songs like "I Love You" ("Bodyguard"), "Dil Gira Dafatan" ("Delhi 6"), "Te Amo" ("Dum Maaro Dum"), "Aunty Ji" ("Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu"), "Meherbaan" ("Bang Bang") and recently "Alizeh" ("Ae Dil Hai Mushkil").

"I was not much aware of Bollywood and its music. I was into retro.. I liked Kishore Kumar, I am '90s fan, I loved Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan. I lost touch with Bollywood until I got into it via A R Rahman through 'Delhi 6'. It was big break for me.. I explored myself as a singer," Ash told PTI.
The "Te Amo" singer feels fortunate to be getting good songs to sing which were loved by people.
"It has been a great journey so far. I come from a working background. Singing is like a dream for me. It's hard to explain how it feels," he said.

Before entering Bollywood, Ash did odd jobs like working as a waiter in a burger restaurant, as a salesman in a computer store, even at the airport and call centre but fate had something else in store for him.

"I left the job because I was given this big break by A R Rahman. I understood social responsibility, how you interact with people and all that, and I enjoy this. I never thought my music would bring me money," he said.
Last evening, he performed live at Mumbai's Ballard Estate Festival (MBEF).
"If you are not nervous about the show then that show will be boring. No matter how many shows I do nervousness is part of the process. Wherever I perform be it for charity show or anywhere there will be nervousness if it's not there then there is no fun...It (nervousness) gives you thrill," he said when asked whether he was nervous.

The 32-year-old singer enjoys performing 'live' as he can see the audience in front of him and feel inspired.
"When you are singing in a studio you are in a room alone. You are not inspired in a way as there is no one in front of you," he said.
"During a live show, you have the opportunity to connect with people. I am excited to be performing with my band. This place has given me so much," he said.