Sonu Nigam describes the work ethic he embodied in his early years as “all work”. One of Bollywood’s most recognisable voices today, Nigam’s professional career spans 39 years, hundreds of playbacks credits and live performances, and a definitive repertoire.
When he first arrived in Mumbai at the age of 18, he brought along a solid work ethic honed over years of work as a child singer and performer. “I just wanted work. I didn’t ask for money, nor did I trouble anyone. I just kept taking on the work that came my way,” he says.
Right before the North America leg of his ‘The Revolution Tour’, Sonu Nigam sat down with Billboard India to answer questions about his prolific career for the “50 Notes” series. He talks about his star collaborators, from Anu Malik to Chaar Diwaari, acting in Jaani Dushman, a move he now considers a mistake, underrated songs from his career, and the tricks he used to find the perfect voice for Govinda.
Read on for an excerpt from the interview.
What’s the best career advice you got?
I was 18 when I came to Bombay, just after my 12th standard. I wanted to go to college, but I realised that going to college would be a waste of time. We, as a family, decided that I was ready now.
I was not old enough, but they knew I could give the existing singers a little competition. My father said, “You’re a decent-looking guy. You’re sharp-minded. You’re young. There will be girls around you, you’ll have friends who will take you out to parties.” So he gave me the choice: “Have fun today and struggle tomorrow, or struggle today and have fun tomorrow.”
When you were younger, were you paranoid about success?
Yeah, of course. I was very ambitious because I was paranoid. I was aware that I had nothing in my hands. I had come empty-handed and I didn’t know anybody. So I had to start from scratch.
Were you selective about the songs you picked?
Not really. Back then, we just wanted to work. I used to sing an average of seven to eight songs a day. Sometimes 12, 13, sometimes 18 songs a day. So I was just working like a machine. When you want to, when your focus is only on bettering your craft, you don’t think of other things. You just want to work and work and work and work. And that’s what I did. Sometimes an entire album of eight songs was done by afternoon. It was so amazing that you could finish the whole album even before lunchtime. And then I would probably go to my house, take a big bite, then go to another studio and do another four, five songs there. I think when you’re meant to do something, it just happens organically.
When did you start having fun?
Around 2004-05, I started relaxing. I started chilling with friends. I started taking vacations. But from ’91 till 2004-05, I never really even considered a Sunday holiday. My secretary came and said, “Tomorrow is a Sunday.” I said, “So what?” The concept of having a holiday was not in my mind.
In 2004, something changed in my life. I saw something. I felt something. It was a divine presence. And I started doing lots of yoga. I did hours of yoga with my teacher, Ruhi ji, who taught me. Early in the morning, I used to wake up and go to her. Something changed in me.
I realised that there is life beyond what I’m seeing right now. There is a world inside the outside, or outside the inside. There’s something happening which I felt, but I couldn’t explain it to anybody else. Even today, I can’t explain.
Watch the full interview here.
