INTERVIEW

Interview with singer Reenie Mansata

'Punjabi is more acceptable abroad today than Hindi'

Reenie Mansata, a New York based Indian singer is being introduced by Saregama India Ltd.

Reenie, who collaborated with Pakistani artist and producer Mahmood Khan in 2004 for an album 'Rahe Tu Rahe, is ready for an India release of her solo debut album "Reenie", produced by New York's R&B and dance guru, David Anthony.

Her songs have managed to bag considerable air-time on UK's Asian radio stations and have been topping the charts incessantly since this summer on desihits.com. In a tête-à-tête with Radioandmusic.com's Puja Changoiwala, Renee outlines her plans and outlook on life and music.

Excerpts:

Is the Indian scenario highly competitive for a Punjabi hip-hop artist?
I'm not really a Punjabi hip-hop artist. My debut album has all kinds of songs; hip-hop, R & B, Punjabi rap and ballads. That is primarily because my producer is an American and so, although the lyrics written by me are in Hindi, the sound, energy, vibes are very international. It's basically a Hindi international project.

About the competition, it's phenomenal in India . India has so much of talent and talent hunts appear to be a great platform for talented people. I really enjoy these shows!

Born in Kolkata, brought up in Indore , Mumbai, then why the need to make a home in New York ?
I've been in New York for around nine years now. I did my school there. It's basically because of personal reasons. And also because I want to work with international artists, but stick to Hindi. Punjabi is more acceptable abroad today than Hindi. A Hindi song would never usually be played on a mainstream radio channel in New York . I want to change that. UK is more open to new sounds whereas the Americans insist on English. I wish to penetrate the American market without compromising on singing in Hindi. I am an Indian and I love to sing in Hindi. I don't mind working as a feature artist with established singers like Kylie Minogue if it promotes singing in Hindi abroad.

What are the struggles, achievements and varied experiences of your musical journey that are the inspiration behind your debut album?
(Smiles) It's been a long journey. I worked with another producer initially but I wasn't writing my own lyrics then.

I wanted to be a singer and I literally exhausted all my savings, looking for the proper producer. I wanted one hit, but a smash-hit. I'm one of those crazy fanatics who give up everything if they believe in something.

I then met this A & R person looking for a singer. Their song was ready but they weren't happy with the vocalist and wanted another singer. It was a one-year commitment and I was traveling across India then. But when I went back to New York , I met the producer and we came up with two songs together. We went to France for a festival and the songs were received very well by everyone. And since we had a great working chemistry, David agreed to do the whole album with me. Later, I decided to come to India and release my album here. Saregama was my top choice here.

What does your album consist of?
My album is called "Reenie" since it has my essence in it. I wanted every song in my album to be a single on its own, every song to be different. The album has hip hop, R & B, ballads, country pop, reggae and a lot of other types of music. I write my own songs and compose my own tunes and melodies.

How was your 'Mela' experience and how does the US scene, where you've been touring all summer, differ from the Indian scene?
Mela was the first time I'd performed live. It was very good. Once you see that the audience is so responsive to you, it's very comforting and simply gets you into it.
And I haven't performed much in India except at the Indian Telly awards. It was a great experience. Very professional.

How did 'Hey DJ' happen to you?
My producer, David Anthony had this track ready with him where a guy was breathing and there were a few beats. I heard it and I thought it was really cool and told him about it. I said we could use a Punjabi rapper and we could pen the lyrics in Hindi. It turned out to be a crazy record. Very nice. This got him more interested since we share such a great musical wave-length.

Do you expect your album to be equally appreciated by Indian and western audiences?
belong to the younger generation. And my friends and everyone belonging to my generation, whoever has heard the tracks has liked them. So I think the youth is definitely going to like it. And for the older people, there are some songs that are really soulful, lyrically and otherwise. The album is no teeny-popper kind of stuff. It has something for everyone.

Any Bollywood aspirations?
Acting-wise? No. I'm not really interested in acting and I love music way too much. If I move back to India, I want to have a studio, want to produce, write songs for myself and for others. And since I belong to the young generation, I can very naturally fuse Hindi music with English. Playback singing for Bollywood is always a great option since I think a lot of quality work in music comes from Bollywood here.

How do you find the competition for playback singing and how are you gearing up yourself for it?
There's a lot of competition here. And the shows with talent-hunts are bringing up many new artists which is great. As for me, I think my voice is different and distinct. After a few songs, you can identify that the voice is mine. Like Adnan Sami has a very distinct voice.

Are Indian musicians an appreciated lot in the US? Or is it a tough road to gain appreciation and a foothold there?
The classical aspect of the Indians is really respected there. But classical music has a niche audience. Also, if you are an Indian and if you are singing in Hindi, you are respected for what you are and if you are trying to sing in English, you are one in many and probably, just a 'wannabe'.