World Music Day 2018: Lata Mangeshkar insists to compose original songs

KARACHI: Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar laments how the music industry is missing out on original songs, as social media takes to celebrate International Music Day.

Taking on the occasion, the classical playback vocalist rather insists that the music industry needs to compose original songs and keep striving for excellence, no matter how much they achieve.

“I get the feeling they are happy achieving what they get to achieve in no time at all. No artiste should be satisfied with what he or she has achieved. There is always another sky to conquer beyond the one that you think you’ve just reached.”

Lata Mangeshkar, whom Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan credits as one who “never goes off-key” when she’s singing, shares how she still shies away from her own songs.

“I never could bear to hear myself. Whenever a song of mine would play on the radio or television, I’d quickly leave the room. If I ever hear myself singing, I find a dozen faults,”

She stresses that the discipline and the passion in singers that once existed back in the classical times has faded.

“Riyaaz. That is what makes singing worthwhile. I never felt I had enough time to do riyaaz because I was in and out of recordings constantly. But I still made time to do riyaaz. Alas, not enough time. I wish I had devoted more time to practicing my classical singing. Singers today are losing touch completely with their classical heritage. An A.R. Rahman or a Shankar Mahadevan are so successful and long-lasting because they know their classical heritage.”

Lashing out on the verge of  remixes   and cover versions of old classics, the  88-year-old singer contends  that  despite their  nature of becoming instant hits , such  attempts still cannot be  put as  art.

“Re-mixes and cover versions of old classics are very lazy routes to instant success. Remember, a song that has attained a classic’s status is regarded so highly because it is of a quality that cannot be replicated. I’ve heard some of the re-mixes of the songs sung by Rafi Saab, Kishoreda (Kumar), Mukesh Bhaiyya, me and my sister Asha. And I cringe. Please, create original music. Imitation is not creation. It isn’t even art.”