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News |  04 Apr 2014 17:43 |  By RnMTeam

Whatever I have learnt from my father is by observing him and not him advising me: Aditya Narayan

From anchoring days to acting for ‘Shaapit’ to singing a couple of songs for Ram Leela, Aditya Narayan has become rather popular over the years, without really having to rely on his father’s famous name. In a candid conversation with Radioandmusic.com’s Dhairya Ingle, he talks about his musical journey, hobbies and the influence of his father Udit Narayan on him.

Tell us about your musical journey?

My journey as a musician commenced the day I was born and I remember my mom telling me that I would attempt to sing ‘Papa Kehte Hai’ even before learning to speak. Music has always been in our genes. My maternal grandfather was a DIG by profession, but also was a songwriter and had been a part of theater, in Kalimpong, West Bengal. My grandmother sung folksongs in ‘melas’, and then my parents are singers too. As far as I remember, I have always been in love with music, and singing started for me when I tagged along with my father for shows. During his performances I would randomly ask for the mic and start singing a song. My talent was spotted by Kalyanji from the music composer duo Kalyanji Anandji. He had his group called Little Wonders. I did 300-500 shows and then turned to acting. I later took some time off simply because, when a boy’s voice starts changing, he cannot sing as his octaves get blocked and he can only sing in a limited range. After schooling and college, I went to London to pursue a course in English Contemporary Music. When I came back I started anchoring shows like ‘Saregamapa’ and did a film called ‘Shaapit’, in which I composed, sung and wrote one of the songs. I also assisted Sanjay Leela Bhasnali on the film ‘Ram Leela’, wherein I got a chance to sing a couple of songs. Here I am in 2014, having just released my new single.

How has your father influenced you?

It is universal that every son wishes to become his father one day. At least for the first few years, your father is always your hero. My father is a major influence on my life. I have been really fortunate to have seen my father’s journey. From his first break to the era of his dominance, I have seen the fruits of his labour. Despite the kind of fame and the fan following, my father maintains a simple lifestyle and has a very humble approach to life, which is why he has always been my inspiration and will continue to be one. I am extremely fortunate to see a man of such a persona in my home.

How is it growing up with an iconic figure like Udit Narayan at home?

Being a singer my father was extremely busy while I was growing up and regardless of your age you need to understand that this is the time for your parents to make hay because everyone does not get a chance to do things as big as this. So I was very understanding even if I did not spend enough time with my parents. In fact, when I was born my parents sent me to Kolkata as my mother- Deepa Nayaran was an air hostess and dad was a singer. My mother after a few years quit her job and with age my father started doing quality work and cut down on the number of recordings. Things started changing when I became a teenager and they started giving me more independence. With age my father’s work load started reducing and now we have a good amount of time. One common interest that we all have is food.

What do you do when not recording or not in the studio?

My days are fixed and monotonous but I lead a very effective day. I wake up in the morning, run for about half an hour. After having my breakfast, I do my voice riyaaz and post lunch I practice guitar, write and compose. Then I go to the gym and all this is over by 3 or 4 pm. Then I go for recordings in the evenings and in the night I am usually free because I do not sleep much, so that is the time I have for myself. Otherwise I am travelling for shows or for fun.

What are your hobbies?

I am very much into fitness not because I wish to look like Sylvester Stallone but since I love to eat, I need to balance it out. Like every other boy I am into video games. I also spend time with my three dogs. The male pug is called Hulk, female pug is called Babe and the Labrador is April. Apart from eating, I also follow cricket, tennis, F-1 and travelling. I love road journeys, driving, riding. Recently I bought myself a Harley Davidson. I keep doing these little adventure trips. Last year after finishing ‘Ram Leela’, I went to Leh Ladhakh from Manali on an Enfield with my friend. So basically I love being around nature. I enjoy shopping strangely, and cooking.

Do you feel insecure considering your contemporaries?

There is no insecurity, because everyone works really hard to live the lifestyle that they are living. Things are never easy for anyone. Today if the audiences like you, you will get more work. There are so many people that are so good, be it Arijit, Siddharth, Arman. They are so good, I listen, follow stalk them and wish them all the best. I believe in what my father says that if there is only one fighter, how you will be playing the game. So I hope there is much more competition and there are more young good looking boys with great bodies and voices who will make me feel insecure. You always need those arch nemeses. It does not have to be that I hate the person and I wish to kill him. But someone who ignites the zeal in you, and makes you want to be number one. The better they get the better I do.

Being a singer’s son what is one thing that your father teaches you?

Nothing. I do not know why. He speaks highly of me. I think that he is unwell because at times he says that I sing better than him and I get zapped. When I ask him to listen to my songs, the only reaction I get is ‘kamal ka hai’. This makes me feel that I am okay, since I am pleasing Udit Narayan. But I would seriously love some advice. Everything that I have learnt is from observing him and not from him advising me. He has never said, “beta sing like this”. In fact now that I have started composing and writing, I tell my dad, papa sing like this.

Do you have wish list of composers that you would like to work with?

I wish to work with everyone. Vishal Shekhar, Pritam, Shankarji, Salim Sulaiman, Amit Trivedi,Mithoon, Rahman Sir, Sachin Jigar, Sajid Wajid, Sohail Sen as all of them churn out very good quality music.

Tell us about your new single

My first single ‘Tu Hi Mera Pyaar Ha’ was my first independent single, released on Valentine’s Day and it was a teenage dream of mine. When I was 16, I always dreamed of producing my own songs and videos and releasing them on Youtube and iTunes. After finally executing it, I felt great and now look forward to releasing four to five singles every two months. I am happy that the first one did really well and has got great feedback from my fans. I plan to do something for hardcore, classical Indian music lovers. I might also experiment with my wild side to get the reaction of my audience.

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