Singer Akriti Kakar , known for tracks such as Saturday Saturday ( Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania , 2014) and Iski Uski ( 2 States , 2014) says that even established artistes continue to face challenges in the music industry. From landing playback opportunities to making independent music click, singers continue to face uncertainty.
“There are so many songs being released every day and there’s every chance of your song getting lost in the crowd. “Sometimes I just have to wait for a music director to call me for a song in a film. Even when I get the opportunity, there’s no guarantee that the song will make it to the final film. With independent music offering an alternative, Kakar believes artistes should take charge of creating their own opportunities rather than waiting for that one breakthrough song. “The only thing in the hand of a singer is to do their best, that’s it! So why not use that energy for your own song, alongside being called by other people? It can be discouraging, and at times, the thought of giving up and not doing it again comes to the mind.
The 40-year-old, who recently released her song Oh Jaanu with Euphoria member Palash Sen , points out that playback singing comes with too many variables.
And even if it does, you never know whether the film or the song will work,” she says. Otherwise, I will just keep waiting for that one life-changing song,” says the singer. But as singers, our karma is to keep trying,” she says.
On collaborating with Palash she says, “I was a 15-year-old schoolgirl when I did an opening act for Palash day show. Then I performed during Euphoria’s 25 year’s celebration concert and now this collaboration. However, she believes luck plays a major role in determining whether an independent song finds an audience. We have to become business people also. So, most of my music is made and funded by me and my husband Chirag Arora (an ad film maker) has done the visual side of it. As an artist, I am trying to make music that I want to say with a blend of nostalgia and modernity. And, I try to do it differently from the existing flow. Then he called me for a song in which I had to do the talking and I was like what? Not sing? Later, I understood when Saanjna came out. He is so full of energy and cooperate and within a day we shot the song with six looks.”
The singer says, “ Everytime I do a show I put some money aside for my indie song.
