Raja Hasan and the Lata Mangeshkar Challenge
Very often do people wonder why reality singing contestant winners do not make it big as playback singers. Take a look at history and you’ll have just a handful of names as successful playback singers. And none of these names might have ever won the contest. Where are people like Abhijit Sawant, Debojit or even Vinit? Does anyone have a decent playback career? All they are reduced to is stage shows - that they perform across the country - and in some cases overseas.
That brings me to a recent Lata Mangeshkar interview. She says:
“The (reality contest) singers sing Asha’s, Rafi’s and my songs and they are judged on that basis. New songs should be composed for these participants so that the composers know how well they pick up a song. Anyone can listen to a song a million times and learn it.”
And the answer to all those queries lie in the last sentence of Lata. It all depends on how you can sing a composition you have never heared.
Ask me, and I’ll tell you it is a lot more than just a composition. It is about getting a feel of what the movie is all about, characterisation, the feel of lyrics and of course, the composer’s intent.
As a screenplay writer myself, I would be really annoyed, if the singer does not
bring out my storyline or the characterisation. Saregama, in its previous years always had a round where singers sang entirely new compositions. Vijay Prakash, who is now an A.R.Rehman regular, had excelled in one of these rounds.
If you want to want to succeed as a playback singer, what you do on stage is immaterial. “Thank you that you said that I sound so much like Sonu Nigam” is not going to get you anywhere. Music directors are not looking for stage-singers. They are looking for singers who can do justice to their compositions, with minimum effort. That is precisely why, Himesh, sings himself. Simply because he doesn’t trust any singer with his compositions.
But getting back to the point - as Lata Mangeshker forcefully pointed out, it is how you sing an original composition - something that you have never heared before - that makes or breaks your career. This is where genuine singers are differentiated from what I would call IPod singers.
In my book, Aneek is nothing more than an Ipod artiste. He has a very good voice - but where has he shown how he would adapt a composition to his own voice?
On the other hand take Raja Hasan. He simply twists compositions at will. When he sang Allah ke Bande - he didn’t go the Ipod route like Aneek does. His verison song is no where anyway close to what Kailash Kher sang. Or take Vishal Bhardwaj’s Naina Thag Lenge. Watch the differences between the two versions he sang - one in the main routine and the second when the “once more” was demanded. He played around amazingly in the second instance. The two versions are miles apart.
With the Teri Deewani song, he added alaaps on his own - which were never in the original. With “Maahiya“, he delightfully added his own bits - which I could didn’t spot in either Shankar Mahadevan or Sukhwinder’s version.
The point I am making here is, you must know the inner workings of a composition. You must understand the composers effort, his aim. And of course you must understand the lyricists’ feel. As Raja has been a composer himself, he knows these tricks very well. And these reflect in each song he sings.
Does Aneek have even the slightest of ability to add an alaap of his own? If he had, we would have seen it. But sadly he hasn’t done any of it.
N. Murali Mohan, who doesn’t like being called a music expert (but still is one for all of us) said this:
“When a lyric and tune is given to the singer, the singer is expected to think through the song and give the right expression at the appropriate places. To be able to sing an entirely new composition which he never heard of and deliver his best requires good musical sense and classical background that Raja possesses in abundance. Also, Raja exercises great control over his breathe. Breathe control is the most essential and vital for singers. And for film music one should have a trick or two up your sleeve like changing the voice for each singer and if he could sing with a lady voice, I am convinced that Raja is a complete and natural singer”
That is precisely why Raja Hasan is the only one who can stand up to the Lata Mangeshkar challenge of singing an entirely new composition. The rest can look forward to buying a newer version of the IPod.
Now, I think we need to bug Raffu to give us our prizes. Raffu, are you there????...
Posts
respected raja hasan backer
u leave me choked….u write so well….no words to describe ur posts on raja hasan…thats so true raja hasan is yhe only one who stand upto lata ji…thank you sir…u always bring out new topics n relate them with uniqueness of raja…RAJA IS BLESSED TO HAVE A GREAT FAN KIKE U….KEEP IT UP SIR…
Dr.Renie, if you can just amputate the “respected” part from your post, I’ll be delighted. It makes me feel as I am growing too old!
ok rajahasanbacker….lol…fine will not use it again….but u are really great yooooooo!!!! i respect you coz u write so good n right things bot raja…respect can b given to any person irrespective of age…so that should make you feel happy with the fact that soooo many are ur fans n respect you…bye
Hi Raja,
Can you please write something to me . I am your fan and want your birthdate.my email is manyad1@yahoo.com
waiting for your reply.
All the best. I am sure you will win the contest
Excellent thought-provoking post man
excellent work Rajahasanbacker…
i salute u…. we are becoming ur fans as well as we are Raja’s …. if the article is read by any music directors i am sure Raja’s furture is very bright…. all thanks to u Rajahasanbacker…
they should really have a round where the singers sing original compositions! Raja will then kick some serious a**!!!
@ RHB
Very true and an excellent framework to prove once again that Raja possesses unmatched qualities as a singer.
Beautiful piece of work.
Respected raja hasan backer
I admire you. You wrote an excellent aritcle. Raja is very lucky to have a person like who is writing about him. God bless you
admire you. You wrote an excellent aritcle. Raja is very lucky to have a person like you, who is writing about him.
God bless you
I admire you. You wrote an excellent aritcle. Raja is very lucky to have a person like you, who is writing about him.
God bless you
Rajahasanbacker
This is what Raja’s fans have been saying all along, including you of course, that Raja is unique, he takes these compositions only to add his touch to bring them to such heights that everyone is listening to them in Raja’ version and saying “what a beautiful song” Raja has not only given life to these almost forgotten songs but once Raja sings them they become a magnificent masterpiece. When Lataji says a singer feels the song, feels the character of the movie,changes the composition on the stage, it is sheer brilliance, only Raja has done that.
I am not holding a masters degree in music but I can tell that Raja adds life to the song in such a way that I want to listen to it again and again. Most of his song choice on the show are songs that I had never listened to, and would have never attempt to understand the lyrics BUT after hearing him sing them I feel I would have missed out on something so many beautiful. One example is Naina thug lange, I enjoy it so much that I play it again and again, same with Allah ke Bhanda, and of course Piya Haji Ali……and really all the songs, even Khanchan, these songs that would have been forgotten are alive because of Raja.
To top it all Raja sings with his heart and soul, it feels like in one breath he can sing the whole song. My daughter and I have also had discussions of how he can do that…..the little knowledge I have about music tells me it must have taken him a lot practice and dedication…..somewhere I read that Lataji was forced into singing for the movies at a tender age of 12 due to financial problems, look at Raja he is not being forced to sing BUT singing is his passion, my point is if Lataji has such a great voice, in fact she is the only female voice in the world to be able to sing so beautifully from the day she started to who knows how long, can you image Raja, where he will be in a few years.
Lataji only compliments a very few new singers and when she says she saw saregamapa a few times I have a feeling she is paying our Raja a compliment.
Here one more plus for RAJA
I found this just now… The official website of Raja Hasan… www.rajahasan.in. The news are in Hindi, so I have a slight problem reading them.
Do read what Raja says ” I just need need your bless (should be blessings) because I don’t want to win the game, I just want to be in your heart forever”.
I do wish that he wins the game and also has a very successful career in music. I want to hear him for years and years to come. He’ll be in my heart forever.
I wish his official website is as good as this. I wish Raja sees this site.
yup… that’s exactly the difference between a singer who goes to school to learn music and one who learns it the hard way. Raja has struggled for more than 5 years and learned stuff the hard way… this is the result of his hard work. go Raja and good post manish (i think that’s what ur name is)
I am from New York. We all love this site.
man raja is seriously gonna rock DARD-E-DISCO
@Rajahasanbacker…. i dont know which word I should be writing for you… i feel u deserve so much more appreciation than any word can hold in entire dictionary.
you are totally Gods gift to Raja and to all of us.
I dont think there is even one single article that u wrote that I didnt love it…i totally cherish each and every write up of yours… u have the art to enlighten anybody’s day anytime… God bless you always!!
I love this forum and all the members here are awesome!! God bless all!
Love u lots,
Raffu
#Raja Hasan Backer
juss loved ur analaysis.. u make friends here to hook up to forum….
but i would say..only one thing…
there maybe many sonunigams,many kaykayzz,
we cant find another raja.
im sure after listening to raja evryone forgets the original song..
An article to remember for life..W0W its simply too gud..Kip up the gud w0rk. Infact dis website have so many interesting article which attracts me to come back for more. RHB hats off to u…By the way after dis competition ends, will dis website also end or it will continue ? Just curious to know…
RHB u are a star, now i’m sure that every1 here are now ur fans too..
Raja really rock the world wif his swit voice & to all lets continue to vote :->
When the contest is over, Rajahasanbacker would you be able to get Raja in here. I am sure everyone has got loads of questions to ask and many stories to tell him. I think once the final is over would be a good idea b/c now we want him to concentrate on his singing.
here’s an idea, after the competition ends, you should contact the winner of the competition(raja) and try to turn this into his OFFICIAL site. seriously i would become a member in a jiffy and buy T-shirts. DO THAT. im sure u wont mind making a few more bucks out of the site on top of the ad money that ur making now.
I just read on IF that Amanat is the singer who got the song from Farah khan. Although it doesn’t mean much but I wanted for Raja. Just keep voting everyone!
@negina
I couldn’t find anywhere in the site of indiaforums that amanat got break from farah khan but at saregamapa2007 site it has been clearly stated that RAJA got the promise from farah
@negina
Actually everyone is praising amanat n aneek for their performances in friday’s episode n i m not hearing much abt RAJA thats y i m worried.
@Neha,
It is in one of the post by malaysiangirls. It says they can’t reveal the source so I hope it is just a rumor.
@negina
i hope its a rumour u know i had so much expectations frm RAJA dis week but everyone is praising amanat n aneek my heart is broken.
@ dear friends if article its stated that stay clued for finding who got offer…actually i dnt like site IINDIA-FORUM srry but site very biased always partial to raja..evrything happens in reverse gear thr… juss leave it..negina raja is winner for life…
relax guy go to http://www.saregamapachallenge2007.com/spoiler-themes-chief-guests-and-songs-this-week.html
the article there says raja gets the break, lemme quote it:
**
Raja Hasan-
1. Dard E Disco (Om Shanti Om) - Farah Khan promised Raja that she will make him sing in her next project for SRK..
2. Chal Chhaiya Chhaiya (Dil Se) - SRK request
**
@someguy actually its not break that matters ..specially amanat fans behave well..but when it comes to(aneek) chela..fans r soo much arrogant (exactly like reshammaiyya).. obssesed that..is they give chance they would like litrally snatch trophy i think… they act like chappad ghanjo..srry..
baghwaan sadbuddhi doo….( i learnt some good things from raja…i dnt wanna say anything bad for them)…
hi friends..
u must watch this…..
hahahahaha
so funny…just check it out …m sur eu will enjoy it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9lbnCHvibA
Manish, brilliant piece of writing…. i’m actually out of words to praise u. It’s so nice to have a person like u who introduces us to the qualities of Raja in such a beautiful manner. Thank u very very much.
Guys i’m lil confused now… on saturday Raja is singing Dard-e-disco or Jag Soona Soona Lage. I’m having a feeling that if he sings Jag soona lage than it will be another NAINA THAG LENGE in making. I wish he sings Jag soona lage…..
I think he sings Dard-e-disco which leads to a controversy between himesh and VS cuz VS gave raja the best song of OSO and a not so popular song of to aneek.
raja hasan backer,
Raja is blessed to have you and Vishal and Shekar on his side. Thanks to you for bringing the interesting topics everyday which I cannot resist reading. And many thanks to Vishal and Shekar for bringing the best out of Raja, remember the timid shy Raja in the beginning and see the Raja now confidence personified in him. I don’t care if he is the winner of Saregama, I want him to be a winner in his life, want to buy his album, I don’t want him to keep doing stage shows.
My request to Vishad and Shekar please be his mentor as along as he requires you’ll, please be with him Thank You.
@sudha
i totally agree… i am seriously planning to actually (or finally should i say) buy an(raja’s) album!!
@sudha agree with u…
raja should be winner for life competiton dnt matter..
evryday raja has new challenge to face,becoz v-s would nt aceept if he just digest original composition by raja ..they want him add his own flavour so he has to put in hardwork..
we want to hear him more n more….
my gut feeling says he will surely will..make big in bollywood…
raja is for confidence, trust ,belief music director can blindly trust him give him song he would dofull justice for song..
thats raja…
I agree with the comments on the previous post, that a truly good singer doesn’t need a song to be popular for his singing of it to be a hit. That’s what Raja has shown, he has taken good compositions which have not made waves with the public and made them popular. In fact, my mum fell in love with the song Naina Thag Lenge only after she heard Raja’s version. Before that, she never paid any attention to it.
I was hoping he would sing Jag Soona Soona Lage, it’s so beautiful. But I’m sure he’ll rock with Dard-E-Disco! (:
@sudha..
u r right sudha…it doesnt matter if Raja wins the contest or not coz he will be successfull in life definitely coz he is a nice human being…
But i want Raja to win the contest coz it’ll be a very tight slap on Mr.HR’s face…for demoralising, discouraging and being rude to our Raja on the stage……
so guys plse plse dont stop voting….
we have to c that Raja wins …plse keep voting for him continuously…..
i have increased my voting rate….i request all his international fans also to plse vote for Raja in large amounts…..plse this is not only competion to Raja but also a test to us…as to how much we like Raja…how much we want to c him on the top…so guys plse vote karo….aur dher saare vote karo…plse plse plse…
RajasFan…
Yes Rajasfan, u r right…. vote in bulk. 200-300 votes everyday will not be sufficient now. Vote atleast 1500 to 2000 everyday. Infact i gave Raja 1200 votes yesterday…. so pls. vote as much as u can! Thanks
Correct! Fully agree with this post.
I wish I Raja will sing someday my lyrics too.
Jungle me Sher ki taarif kiya hai
Mandi mein Aam ki taarif kiya hai
Guldaste mein gulab ki taarif kiya hai
Geet mein hasan ki taarif kiya hai
Are bhai sub Raja hai!!
Actually thinking about it… its good that he is singing dard e disco.. because farah khan is a type of person who loves all upbeat songs so if she is present there then its important that raja sings what is good for her ears… and also when she watches all audience dance to that tune it will be awesome and as far as jag soona soona song is concerned, i am sure in another episode, raja will definitely sing that song… that is a beautiful composition and i am sure raja will sing even richa sharma’s part beautifully in his own style :o)
alright i cant wait for tonight to see raja perform … counting hours and mins… lol
and YES i too am with u all… I will DEFINITELY buy Raja’s album and hope he comes with that soon.
last but not least… thats a wonderful suggestion to turn this site into Raja’s official website as i dont think anyone can do a better job then rajahasanbacker… RHB - u should serously do that. :o)
by the way - Good Morning to All :o)
u know guys… Farah is a fan of item numbers… as a chreographer she like to make the actors log dance on a item song…
@ rafuu..
actually in DARD-E-DISCO.. song there r many high notes which will suit Raja so that song choice is right…(even sukwinder singh sang it somewat flat i felt) raja will do full justice..
i fell great to be on this site.. i buncked my skool since 2days soemthing made me with held..all day n night i was hearing raja songs….
someday my mom wil kick me out for my paghal pan ..
evryone on this site r adorable…
RHB is best.. we allr his fans too…
have great day raffu..
@medha..
i agree with you whenever i get time to sit on the computer first link i go to is http://www.rajahasan.com
I spend most of the time reading the lovely reviews and viewers feedback/comments and listening to all Raja’s songs again and again.. beleive me this has never happened to me with any other singer. I never loved gazals.. but today I played his song again and again… God bless you Raja and RHB for developing this elite site…Hats of to you
Hi aneek im keni patel from u.s.a. And i like your voice i know you are win in this saregamapa 2007 and i also pray to god for you because you are Indian number 1 voice. You have nice guru like himesh i like himesh so much tell himesh keni miss you soo much.
god bles you
Thank you.
Raja i know you are a best singer i like your song A.R rehaman song like i dotnt know the song name is but you sing very well.
Hi aneek im keni patel from u.s.a. And i like your voice i know you are win in this saregamapa 2007 and i also pray to god for you because you are Indian number 1 voice. You have nice guru like himesh i like himesh so much tell himesh keni miss you soo much. keni_dhatva@yahoo.com
god bles you
Thank you.