Hariharan: singing the Poets from Lahore

Music interview with Hariharan - HindiSong.com - U.S.A.
Thursday, 15 Jun 2006

"I had to make myself a student again"

25 albums under his belt and one of the most flexible voices in the industry make Hariharan something of a rarity. As you hear his fluid voice cascade over you like a stream of pure water you wonder why you don’t hear him more often.

How did Lahore… happen?
I was an assistant and student to Jaidev and a friend of his invited me to do something in Pakistan. I liked the idea so here we are.

Singing from Bulleh Shah etc is Sufism in its purest form-did you realise the implicit spirituality of it?
Of course. When singing it, you make sure the swaras are appropriate to the words-only then does it give the required feel.

Was it difficult?
Actually it wasn’t. It was an enjoyable experience singing the poets from Lahore but the language was no problem.

No touch of the south has crept into your singing of this one.
As playback singers we learn to mimic tones, there are times when you don’t get the perfect tone like once I was doing an Assamese jingle and I just couldn’t get the tone right for 2 hours.

Among your own albums which is your personal favourite?
Kaash which was released in 2000 now in a couple of months I am releasing another album on the lines of Kaash.

How was the entire experience of singing Lahore?I sang it differently. I had to make myself a student again. There in Pakistan they use a different idiom-which is actually true of any place. You’ll see the difference in the singing of the north and south- in Pakistan the aakar is more pronounced. Every region has this difference in tonal quality.

How well is the album doing?
Pretty well but this kind of thing will have a niche market only.

Any more of this sort in the pipeline?
I am getting offers but it’s better to wait a while.

Did you compose at all in this album?
Yes two of them Saanj dhaley and Murk e hum.

Singing Bulleh Shah particularly- your delivery is very good your enunciation doesn’t betray your origin?
I’ve worked very hard for this. I am a typical Matunga boy with Bambaiya Hindi. It was Jaidevji who insisted that I learn Urdu which I did. He gave me my break in Gaman.

What are you expecting of this?
This album grows on you. Fans told me that they expected more from me than I have given in this album but it’s difficult to explain that you are not singing to impress but to sing to do justice to the lyrics. Now those same people tell me they are getting more and more out of it. Some compositions are suggestive-not every composition can be used to showcase yourself.