Shibani Kashyap, the Pop-singer from the late-1990s, who moved on to singing in Bollywood films later on, is today a renowned female singer and composer in India. Kashyap started her career by singing the signature tune for AIR FM channel of All India Radio and Amul India. She loves to experiment with music and mostly composes music in Sufi Western Blend. She was first Indian artist to represent India in 1999 for Annual International Music Festival “Azia Dauysy” held in Kazakhstan and in 2000 she released her Sufi album “Nagmagee”.

Verus Ferreira met up with Delhiite Kashyap in this exclusive interview to know her how her career, her collaborations with other artists and what the future holds for her.

From jingles, dabbling in Bollywood projects, reality shows and cutting your private albums - you have come a long way. How has the journey been?

I started my journey by singing the signature tune for All India Radio followed by advertisement jingles for Amul and Subah Savere show on Doordarshan. As I grew in my musical journey, my contributions varied from composing albums to anchoring reality music shows. My journey in Bollywood has not been less than any roller coaster ride, giving me fame, recognition and awards. It served as a platform for many new avenues and musical shows with renowned artists around the world. It has been a soulful musical journey so far with many learnings, ups and downs and most importantly, meaningful experiences.

So tell us about your musical influences?

I compose in the Sufi-western genre and my music is heavily influenced by the likes of Steve Banks, Sting, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder; and Jazz artists like Frank Sinatra. I love listening to John Mayor and bands like Coldplay. I also admire the vocal flexibility of singers like Mariah Carey and Rihanna. From the East, I’ve been influenced by artists like R.D. Burman, Asha Bhonsle, Sufi singers like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and Abida Parveen.

You came on the music scene around 1997 at a time when Indi pop was still around, do you think that the Indi pop industry is non-existent in comparison to the late 1990s? What could be the possible reason behind it?

Yes, I joined the music industry around late 1990s and Indie Pop was starting to fade and eventually became a thing of past. The boom of remixes and Bollywood borrowing from Indie Pop overshadowed this music form. There were varied music forms with minimal quality control which led to the downfall of Indie Pop music. The genre’s extinction was evident on TV and Radio which preferred playing only Bolywood numbers. Retrospectively, if we want to evaluate, there could have been many steps, if taken, it could have saved the most popular genre of music of the 90s.

To date how many music albums have you released and why has there not been any new album from you?

I have been regularly releasing my singles in the digital space (i.e. YouTube). Last year, I released Soneyaa with Mika Singh. It was heavily promoted on TV Channels and was uploaded on YouTube too. However, it couldn’t become too popular due to the monopolization by Bollywood songs.

Born in Delhi, as a Kashmiri do you go back to your native place Kashmir?

Actually I’m not a Kashmiri. I am a Punjabi, born in Delhi and brought up in Kashmir. My dad was posted in Kashmir for many years. So, I stayed in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir during my early years.

Have you ever done something very special in music on Kashmir?

Couple of days back, I went to Kashmir for a show, to perform for the Indian Army. It was in Rajouri near the India-Pak border. It was a nostalgic experience for me and almost felt like home coming.

You have done a lot of work for Bollywood, can you tell us what is the latest project you have done and what forthcoming projects have been lined up for you?

Yes, my work for films gives me immense satisfaction and learning opportunities are abundant. My latest song was for ‘Main or Mr. Right’which released last year featuring Barun Sobti and Shenaz Treasurywala as the lead pair. Currently, I’m working on a of multiple songs of which, I have presented some to the producers. At the moment, my focus is to grow my independent music career and perform more singles.

You also had a band called ‘Sojourne’ sometime in 2010, what happened to it and do you still tour with them.

Yes! Sojourne was formed around 2008 and I can completely relate to its compositions as I love this form of music. The name ‘Sojourne’ means ‘journey’ and expresses each member’s individual musical journey which is an interesting tale in itself. I do public concerts with the band very often and we perform many of their original songs, both in English and Hindi and covers of artistes like Sting, Sade, Alanah Myles, The Corrs, Europe, Nelly Furtado.

You have worked and also collaborated with many singers down the years, which artist has been the best to work with?

I have had the opportunity to work with a number of renowned singers in the past few years. A couple of years back, I did a song on Valentine’s Day with Dj Aks. I also collaborated with Mika Singh for Soneyaa. All these experiences have been enriching for me and it is difficult to choose the best amongst them. In near future, I will be working on a song with Ravi Tripathi, which I am excited about and looking forward to a great partnership.

Who do you think is the mentor for your success?

I have had a number of mentors during different phases of my life. If you talk about one single mentor, I would say it was my mother. A classical singer herself, she was the one who introduced me to this beautiful form of music. Her guidance, lessons and encouragement was a foundation stone for me which carved my musical carrier. As I grew up, I was trained by different mentors who played vital roles in helping me achieve my dreams. Currently I’m training under guru Sanjay Misra, from the Rajan and Sajan clan of Banaras Gharana and the experience cannot be defined in words. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Gautam Ghosh, who has been my constant encouragement factor since my very first album.

Who is your favourite Bollywood male and female singers?

Asha Bhonsle, Usha Uthup, Arijit Singh and Kishore Kumar are some of my favourite singers from Bollywood. During her years, Usha Uthup had built herself into a rockstar and is an inspiration for all of us. I have performed with her and she is a lovely person to work with.

If not a singer, what would you have been?

I always wanted to be a singer, and cannot imagine myself pursuing any other career. However, I love travelling and also have a keen interest in interior designing. Hence, I could be a travel-diary writer or an Interior Designer.

What are the five things that you cannot live without?

My guitar,mobile phone,my compact, tt’s the most essential make-up item for me,green tea - I’m totally addicted to it. Performing on the stage, I am extremely passionate about it as it gives immense happiness to me.

What is your sun sign and date of birth

I was born on the 12^th of January, and my sun sign is Capricorn.

What music do you listen to when you are free?

Whenever I’m free, I prefer listening to Jazz. That’s my favourite form of music.

Do you plan to bring out any music album in the near future?

Yes, absolutely. This year I plan to bring out an album and a couple of singles.

How important is technology to a musician?

Given the last few decades, technology has changed the way music is composed and reaches its lovers. Technological advancements of musical instruments offer present day musicians with a wide range of options to experiment and showcase their creativity. Harman is in the forefront of providing musical innovations to artists. At the PALM Expo held recently in Mumbai, Harman launched Digitech TRIO+, a guitar pedal perfectly suited for solo performers. While a musician plugs in the microphone and strums on the guitar, the TRIO+ generates bass and drum parts that match his song. A performer can just sing and the device follows his chords and rhythm. It behaves like a personalized and one-man band, and eliminates the need of too many supporting musicians.

What can be done to promote new talent in the music industry, and how platforms like Harman Live Arena help in this?    

The Harman Live Arena is a great platform for upcoming musicians and artists to show their talent. The Live arena’s infrastructure, sound and stage lighting are top-of-the-line in the industry. This is an opportunity to provide an equal platform for music veterans such as Sivamani and Niladri Kumar as well as budding bands and music artists to express their artistic work.

What is your message to your fans?

Just believe in yourself, and be yourself!

Interviewed byVerus Ferreira