June 27, 2018
Music composer Salim Merchant, who is mentoring new talent for an
international music competition, says self expression and originality are the
most important elements for an artiste.
"One of the very important
factors in an artist is self expression. That creates self identity," Salim of
the popular Salim-Suleiman duo, told IANS in an interview.
"These days, a
lot of singers are sounding like Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan or someone else,
but not something original. Now, as a music composer, if I can work with some of
the icons, why should I work with these kids who do not have their own identity
and, not bringing anything new on the table?"
So, he says the first and
foremost thing that all the singers should understand is to build their
identity.
"As an artiste, it is your inner journey to discover that. If
you can do that, the chance is huge to make a difference.
"That apart, I
think if the artiste has the time and inclination, they should try to create
versatility in their performance. You might be great in one genre, try out the
other one to find out the versatility in you," said the composer, who is also
popular as a vocalist.
Salim, along with his brother Suleiman, has worked
with many new playback singers in the Bollywood music industry, including Shruti
Pathak, Neha Bhasin and Jonita Gandhi.
He said even when they cast a
voice, they look for "originality, versatility and a voice that has an
individual personality."
Emphasising on the importance of developing a
good ear for music, Salim said: "Music is 50 per cent learning, 50 per cent
listening. Unless you are listening to good music, you cannot become a good
musician; whether a vocalist, instrumentalist.
"And there is a certain
way to listen to music for a musician who gives you the creative and technical
aspect of a composition," he added.
Salim is mentoring the finalist of
Project Aloft Star, which is a partnership between Universal Music India and
Aloft Hotels. The competition captures the essence of Aloft Hotel's belief in
self expression through music.
Asked about how he looks at the
involvement of corporates in the music business, the "Chak De! India" fame
composer said: "It is great to bring two industry people from different ideas
together.
"Music celebrates unity, so encouragement of corporate company
in the music business is actually a great deal."
But, don't the marketing
mind controls the creative mind of a musician?
"I can talk about myself,
and no, I do not think that the creative expression of an artiste gets
compromised before a marketing team.
"A corporate company highlights
their brand value, and I will think about my brand value. So, when it is a
collaboration, it is never ‘I', it is ‘we'. There is always a room for
negotiation with a lot of respect for each other," replied the multiple
award-winning Salim.
Project Aloft Star started on Tuesday. It has
finalists from countries like India, Greater China, Australia, Southeast Asia
and Korea, who will be chosen to battle it out on September 20 in Seoul.