It’s a long way from the Pacific to India but when passion and opportunity beckons, distance is just a number. Fiji Islands native- but with Indian ancestry- singer Sumeet Tapoo, has shifted base to Bollywood. Armed with an MBA degree and trained under illustrious master like Anup Jalota, Tapoo is here to stay.
His debut album, the Indipop ‘Meri Deewangi’ in 2010 was a chart smash peaking in at No2 on Times of India Music Charts.
He’s back with a new album- working with some of music’s industry’s most admired names including his guru Anup Jalota.
Radioandmusic.com caught up with Tapoo for an update on his musical philosophy, view on the industry and his new album.
Excerpts:
Can you share a little about your musical upbringing over the years and what kind of music have inspired you?
I was born in the tiny island paradise in the South Pacific – Fiji- a country rich in natural beauty and also a country inhabited by Indians. A large contingent of farmers and business people left various parts of India over a hundred years ago and made Fiji their home. Today, Indians constitute an important and integral part of the country. My grandfather went from Gujarat to Fiji in the 1930’s as a young child. My musical upbringing was nothing different to that of a child being brought up here in India- with Hindi Cinema and Hindi Music. My father, Mahendra Tappoo, sang as a hobby. He sang the songs of Mukesh quite brilliantly. Then in the early 1980’s, Anup Jalota came to Fiji and as a 3 year old, I was blessed to be adopted by him as his “shishya” (student) and have been guided and inspired by him for the past 31 years. I have been influenced by good music, inspired by my guru, and singers like Rafi Saheb, Mukesh Ji, Kishore Da, Hariharan, Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Singh.
How important is it to retain one’s cultural heritage and tradition?
I am sure you have heard this cliched response: The world is fast becoming a global village. But I firmly believe that the influx of television and cross boundary relations has diluted the cultural heritage of not only Indians but of most communities around the world. The advantages of the current world order are enormous in that there is greater exchange of education, knowledge, information and expansion into newer and unexplored realms of the human mind and beyond. But all this at the expense of one’s culture and heritage. This is an extremely important part of any human being and one which should not be neglected. Our Indian tradition, religion, aspiration and cultural is richly infused with such incredible history and purpose that we should do all that we can to retain this. One’s identity must remain – it defines who we are and where we come from. Internationally, a lot is being done to preserve this.
How have your first experiences in the music industry been? How did you get a break with Sunidhi?
My focus for many years had been semi-classical music. I have focused on singing Ghazals, Bhajans, Geet, and songs of yester years. But I have now decided to venture into the film industry and my experiences have been wonderful. This industry is not for the weak hearted. It requires tremendous amount of dedication, hard work, sacrifice, passion and commitment. But I believe that everyone has a place in the industry. My break has been a dream one. To sing alongside a current singing diva Sunidhi Chauhan is awesome- she is an incredible singer. The romantic duet has been composed by Bhavdeep Jaipirwale who found me worthy enough to voice the male portion of the song. The movie is currently in pre-production stage and due to be released late 2013- early 2014.
Tell us about your new album- Destiny. What made you decide on a ghazals album?
I am humbled to be given an opportunity to sing alongside the three legends- Anup Jalota, Pankaj Udhas & Talat Aziz. It is also for the first time that these three legends have come together for an album. So this really is a special ghazal album and I am honoured to be a part of it. The album has been aptly entitled ‘Destiny’. Ghazal as an art form is still alive despite its detractors. Concerts are still being attended by enthusiasts all over the world. The original “Urdu Bhasha” of this genre of singing is perhaps not what is prevalent now due to complexity of the language and is not understood by all. Replacing this is a more easy to understand and simplified language. If I were to pinpoint the differentiating factor of this genre, I would say that the lyrically and musically, ghazals have not lost its richness.
Who composed the music & wrote the lyrics? Number of tracks etc.
The ghazals were composed by Anup Jalota, written elegantly by Ram Prakash Goel “Soz” and arranged by Bhavdeep Jaipurwale. Each of the four singers has (also) sung two ghazals each and the ninth track is special with all four of us singing together.
Collaborations with big names-Anup Jalota, Pankaj Udhas, Talat Aziz- any fears of being overshadowed or your material being diluted?
I have been blessed to work with legends in our industry. I did a devotional album alongside Shankar Mahadevan and Hariharan. As far as Destiny is concerned, these legendary singers have millions of fan following all over the world. I’m a relative newcomer and still trying to become established. So I am not at all concerned about being overshadowed or my songs being diluted. I don’t have such insecurities. Singing is not a competition.
In day and age when sales of album- physical ones- are falling, why have you and label Sa Re Ga Ma decided to make one?
The sad part about our industry is piracy and a greater atrocity is that not much is being done about this. Physical sales have become a small part of the revenue generated. However, the industry has progressed to the digital platform and the album will be available on varied digital platforms. If artists and music companies sit down and whine and don’t produce albums and music, then music is the loser and the listener will be starved. I think artists and companies need to embrace the new age and produce more albums and keeping alive all genres of music.
How is the album being promoted? Please tell.
HMV Sa Re Ga Ma have done an incredible job in the lead up to the impending release. Music videos have been produced and the album will be available across all digital platforms. The music videos will be available online on YouTube for all to enjoy free of cost.
What is your opinion of Bollywood and its music?
Hindi Cinema celebrates a century this year- I still feel that our industry does not realize the breadth of its reach. Today, Hindi cinema viz. Hindi music under its ‘Bollywood’ branding has spread globally. Artists such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, to name a few, have been our true ambassadors of our music on to the global stage. In speaking of our current Bollywood songs, they are influenced heavily by rhythm and western music. But then it is also a reflection of the movies which are being produced. It is difficult to envisage the songs of yesteryears being placed in the new movies. I think Sonu Ji’s “Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin” composed by Ajay-Atul for the movie Agneepath has given the industry a new direction. It is a turning point towards soulful & melodious music. Exciting times await us all.
Any future projects in hand? Anything you’d like to add?
After the release of ‘Destiny’, I am looking forward to the release of my Bollywood song with Sunidhi and I also have a few more playback opportunities in the near future. Rest is in God’s hands.