Had to imagine Shakti Kapoor’s style while saying Jaaneman Aah: Aman

In a span of just four years, singer Aman Trikha has already sung for biggies from the industry ranging from Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan to Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Varun Dhawan and others. From Oh My God’s ‘Go Go Govinda’ to Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’s ‘Prem Leela’ and even the BJP Anthem Ache Din Aane Waley Hain; his versatile voice has the nation humming along to his chartbuster numbers.

Trikha whose latest offering is ‘Jaaneman Aah’ from Dishoom gets candid with Pandolin about his initial struggle and where he sees himself in the coming years.

Bollywood singer Aman Trikha

What was the brief given for ‘Jaaneman Aah‘ and what was expected from you?

The brief was to come up with a mad and peppy song keeping the expressions in mind. It needed to have complete masti (fun) and a youth flavor with the whole drama in it. I was deliberately told to imagine Shakti Kapoor’s style while saying ‘Jaaneman Aah!’ And that was the interesting part. I was given a free hand to play with it but at the same time, that expression of Shakti Kapoor had to come out.

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Was it an easy track to record?

I take the song in my system and completely commit my soul to it. At that point of time, I imagine myself as the person on whom the song is featured. So it becomes very easy for me to execute and deliver. It appears like an easy song but if you hear it closely, you’ll realise that the pitch of the song is quite high.

It appears like an easy song but if you hear it closely, you’ll realise that the pitch of the song is quite high

What kind of response has the song gotten so far? 

People have been loving the song. In just two weeks, it already has more than nine million hits on YouTube. And not just YouTube hits, even the organic feedback from Varun Dhawan, Parineeti Chopra and my fans has been amazing. Varun has had some hit numbers but those haven’t been as mad. He has had tracks like ‘Saturday Saturday’, which can be heard in a club in a very chilled out mood. But this song has serious maddening stuff happening, from the melody to the lyrics. You immediately start dancing to it. Varun Dhawan, Sajid Nadiadwala, Mayur Puri and everybody who is behind the track has loved my voice. I would say that Mayur has written very sexy lyrics where a lover describes his love in a very extrovert manner.

Since ‘Jaaneman’ Aah also happens to be a duet, tell us more about the chemistry that two singers share when it is a duet? 

Antara (Mitra) is a very good friend and a great human being. She projected her voice in a way that seemed like the perfect playback for Parineeti. Both of us complimented each other. And that is how the chemistry between the two singers should be, because it is then felt in the song as well.

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You’ve mostly sung fast numbers. Does that come naturally to you? What genre of songs do you find most difficult to sing?

If you have sung some initial tracks of a similar kind and genre, and they have also become great hits, then people will relate you to those kind of songs itself. It is all about the kind of songs that are liked by people and become chartbusters. Actually you get typecast because of that. But if you look at my songs like ‘Hookah Bar’, ‘Halo Re’, ‘Po Po’, ‘Har Har Gange’, etc.; they are fast but are very different tracks. All of them have a different story, attitude and theme to them. I get calls for other songs too and have recorded a lot of romantic numbers as well. Some of them have already released and some are yet to come out. But I sing whatever comes my way.

And no song is actually difficult, till the time you believe it to be difficult. You don’t have to choose it as a task but as an experience. If I’m given a song which is full of heartbreak and sorrows, I have to literally feel that I’m going through a heartbreak. It is essential to understand the feel of the song. If you are singing a song like ‘Go Go Govinda’, you’ll have to assume yourself as a typical carefree boy from Mumbai. Only then will that attitude come.

Aman Trikha

You have sung songs in different styles & languages like English, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani, Marathi & many others. How did you get fluent in all these languages and does singing becoming different with respect to the language?

I should thank God for that. When I get to record a regional song, I write the lyrics in Hindi. Language is not that difficult but the bigger aspect is catching the accent. If it is a Tamil song, you can’t have the attitude of a Punjabi.

I listen to all kinds of music. India is very rich when it comes to different languages. When I’m recording any regional song, I learn from the people who come to get it recorded. I give it my best shot and try to grasp things as quickly as possible and deliver at the earliest.

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Is riyaaz a part of your daily routine? 

For me, riyaaz happens every time that I’m free. I keep humming and listening to songs. Once Zakir Hussain sahib was asked that since he travels a lot, how does he do his riyaaz? And he said that he does it while he’s in the plane. He was like “Mere mann me riyaaz chal raha hota hai” (I keep practising in my mind). Besides exercising your vocal chord, it is also very important for your mind to exercise. Your mind should be sharp enough to remember. When you are called for any recording, it’s not just about your singing. People also look at how tough your mind is. People who are not sharp won’t be able to deliver in time.

Besides exercising your vocal chord, it is also very important for your mind to exercise

And what was your training in music like?

I have learnt from Ustaad Maqbool Hussain Khan from Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana. When I was in the first year of college, I discovered that I could sing. After struggling since 2005, I got my first break in 2012. I met almost every composer during that struggle period. With no Godfather in the industry, I was a one man army and kept moving. I followed my instinct. In 2012, I became the ‘Man of the Series’ in the show Sur Kshetra. Through that show, I met Himesh Reshammiya who gave me sing my first song in OMG – Oh My God!.

What kind of bond do a singer and composer share?

There has to be a lot of respect. I have worked with so many composers who are younger than me. I always respect them. And that should be the case with everyone. If you don’t respect others, you won’t get respect. Also, my roots are very subtle and my parents have always taught me to respect everyone.

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How would you define your journey so far?

The journey has not really been a bed of roses. But it has been full of lessons and I still have a long way to go. So far I have only delivered 0.5% of my efforts. The journey has just started. I want to sing with all composers and technicians, so that I can explore myself. I’m not here to sing just one kind of genre. I’m here to sing different genres. Singing shouldn’t be stagnant and I don’t want to be stagnant with my singing.

Aman Trikha while performing

What kept you going despite all the struggles?

There have been incidents when I had no money. If one had to meet different composers, there were times when there was no money for either an rickshaw or bus. You just walk and reach your destination. It was my basic instinct that I have it in me and I’m going to make it. I knew that time is the only thing that struggle demands. Results might get delayed, but if you are doing hard work, you’ll definitely get results. Hard work never goes in vain.

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Where do you see yourself in the coming years?

I have a lot of things that I want to achieve. I want to expand my knowledge and grow as a musician. Money will come and go and so is the case with fame. I just want to keep working hard. I have a certain benchmark in my mind, which I’ll soon achieve.

Tell us about your upcoming projects

There is a film called Father which is based on Kashmir. There is another movie called Dil Sala Sanki in which I’ve sung a Punjabi club number. Hanged till Death, based on Yakub Memon’s death and Delhi Kand which is based on the Nirbhaya rape case are some of my other projects.