MUMBAI: To be known for one's creative work is every artiste's ambition. For Ash King, this is achieved through Gaurav Dagaonkar’s SongFest, a new platform for independent music and artists.

Ashutosh Ganguly, stage named as Ash King, started his Bollywood journey with Delhi 6 under AR Rahman in 2009. Since then there was no looking back for Ash.  

Hailing from London, Ash faced difficulties earlier while recording Hindi songs. It is not for the first time that Ash is working with Gaurav. They worked together for a song in 2014.

“Hindi is not a challenge for me anymore but the first song I sang for him (Gaurav), Mashooqana, was very challenging. Now that is not the case. Every time I sing a new song, there is a new challenge. I think every artiste would find it challenging while recording a song because it shouldn’t sound like a cover of the song, but the original one. Because it is not written or composed by me, it almost becomes a cover,” said the Barish singer.

The first time when Ash came across the concept of SongFest, it was exciting for him. It was also the chance to be a part of the first song of SongFest that made him much more content. “SongFest is an amazing idea. A lot of artists think about such concepts but Gaurav managed to go ahead and do it. The concept is quite inspiring. I was happier because the independent side of me was being used. I was not only singing but also featuring in the song,” he exclaimed.

Also Read: With SongFest we are focusing on original content: Gaurav Dagaonkar

Tum Khubsoorat Ho, the first song from SongFest happened to Ash King after his 3 months of break. Due to ill-health and wish to be away from the industry for a while, the singer-composer went on a break to be with himself.

What attracted Ash more towards this song was the message conveyed to the audience.”I love the message of the song, it is something I talk about a lot. I don’t want to sound cheesy, but I do believe that women should be celebrated more,” said the Bandook Meri Laila singer which was a hit.

Artistes today with great talents are stuck with Bollywood due to various reasons, out of which one is specified by Ash. “As an artiste what stops them is the word cliché. I feel cliché is equal to that called common sense, and we all have our own common sense. This stops an independent artiste from being productive. It’s time to understand that we need independent artiste and not entertainers. So it is not about being cliché but how good you are at what you do,” said the Suno Aisha singer.

Lastly, when asked to choose one from Bollywood playback or Independent music, the singer in no time chose Independent music. To this he said, “I would choose Independent music because it is me Ash, Ashutosh Ganguly. For me it is about being unique, being me and being yourself. That is what Independent music gives me.”

“It's good to have a Bollywood background because that gives us more exposure to independent music that we do. It also encourages a whole new people to engage with independent music and not just Bollywood. Also, the fast-growing media like YouTube and Facebook need to be utilized wisely,” he ended.