‘Performing in Bengaluru is always a Shaan-daar experience’

As Bollywood singer Shaan, a.k.a. Shantanu Mukherjee, set foot in the city for a gig last weekend, the ambience seemed to turn romantic ahead of his performance. The cloudy sky, light rain and a lake overlooking the stage was the perfect setting for a melodious walk down the memory lane with his hit numbers. The singer mesmerised the audiences with songs like Chand Sifarish, Woh Pehli Baar, I Love You, Main Aisa Kyun Hoon, including his Kannada song Yeno Onthara among many others.Shaan, who has also sung Kannada songs like Ale Ale, Jotheyalli Nee Baro and Shuruvaagide, put up an energetic show and left the listeners wanting for more. Tweaking the lyrics of a hit song I Love You from the movie Bodyguard, Shaan sang, ‘Karein chaand-taaron ko mashhoor itna kyun, kambakht inse bhi khoobsurat hai tu, Bengaluru...I Love You...’ as the audience cheered him. Ahead of the concert, Bangalore Times met Shaan for a quick chat. Excerpts:
You have been to Bengaluru several times in the past. How does it feel to be back in the city?
Performing in Bengaluru has always been a Shaan-daar experience (laughs). It is always a pleasure being here and I absolutely love the city’s weather. I have done over 100 concerts here and the audience has always been very responsive. Now, it’s like a home away from home for me. I love the vibe and energy of the city. The people here are warm and welcoming and there are so many places to eat out and hang out in and around the city.
You’ve sung some Kannada songs too. Tell us about your experience singing songs in regional languages.
Yes, I have. I enjoy singing Kannada songs, especially during my concerts in Bengaluru, because the audience here loves it when I sing in the local language. So, I have learnt a few Kannada songs and I sing them for the people here whenever I visit the city.
You recently released a single, Mere Hone Ki Tum Wajah. Tell us more about it.
I’ve penned the lyrics of the song and it is inspired by my wife, Radhika. It’s a love song that I wrote for her to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary.
What is in store for your fans? Is there anything new that you’re working on?
A lot of things are planned for 2020. I am busy creating more videos and songs for my channel. I’ve also been doing some movie songs here and there but I am now getting back to creating more original songs.
You’ve come a long way since your Tanha Dil days. What has been the biggest milestone in your career?
I think Tanha Dil was the biggest milestone. It’s been 20 years and there has been no looking back since then. The last 10 years have not been as productive in terms of Bollywood, but I managed to reinvent myself and try a lot of new things like writing and composing, dancing, judging contestants in reality shows etc.
Indie pop was extremely popular in the 90s, but it’s not the same anymore. What do you think can be done to bring back the magic of the 90s?
In 90s, we had cassettes and CDs and audio was the king. Now, times have changed and video has become the king. It doesn’t matter how good your song is. If the video is not good enough, the audience wouldn’t like it. Making an album is quite pointless now because the visual medium demands more singles. There is not enough value for what you create as it can be streamed and watched for free, literally. However, the good thing is that there are many new artistes who are sharing their original songs online and there is an audience for everyone. Talking about Indie pop and non-film music, I think it is re-emerging and making a comeback and people are taking interest in listening to new and original songs.