Adnan Sami on Returning to Bollywood Playback After 9 Years: ‘I Needed Time to Recuperate and Embrace New Music’
Adnan Sami talks about his Bollywood playback return with Kasoor and Vicky Aur Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, and his future music plans
After a nine-year hiatus, Adnan Sami will be a part of not one but two films. His fans to hear him give playback in two Hindi films- Kasoor and Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, reportedly.
Ask him about returning to playback singing after a nine-year gap and the singer says, “It was not a calculated move but something that sort of happened. I primarily needed a bit of time to myself to recuperate, rejuvenate and be receptive while listening to some new stuff that has come my way. You don’t actually realize that it’s been such a gap because time flies at a ferocious space. It seems like only yesterday that Bajrangi Bhaijaan happened and I sang Bhar Do Jholi. When you look back, you feel that it’s been long. I’m excited about the new song.”
He discounts the two years of the pandemic but now he is in “work mode from the recording point of view”: “I am currently touring a lot with concerts around the world. But I am happy to be getting back into the recording phase and I am doing a lot of new stuff and recording for films as well as independent music, which has been a very important part of my life.”
Adnan rues the breaks and says he just “got bit lazy”. “But jokes apart, I’ve never released songs for the sake of releasing. I have been in the business now for 35 years and my discography and body of work has tremendous variety. Right from classical to indie pop to instrumental music as I am a pianist and then there’s the independent singing and then film songs and there’s variety in genres. But you might not find that much of quantity that would be expected in 35 years. The reason is that my approach to music is emotional. I don’t look at as business. It is passion for me,” he says.
The singer adds, “If you think business, then, you have to keep churning. I am not saying that this is not my bread and butter but I feel blessed that God has been so kind to make my passion my profession. I am not into that zone where I sort of boast that I have sung 5000 songs. And don’t get me wrong, I am not judging anybody who does that as that in itself is a talent but it’s not my goal. I chose music despite being a qualified lawyer is because it is my passion. And I’m the only one in my family who was a musician or in the entertainment business. Everybody else are aristocrats, in bureaucracy and politics. Therefore, I tend to do things which are very close to my heart.”
Talking about his new work, Adnan says that it resonated with him, which is why he chose it. He shares that musicians need to recharge to be able to deliver their best, “otherwise you can easily become stagnant, repetitive and monotonous”. “A number of musicians abroad take a break for four or even five years and then come out with a new album. Of course, you’re constantly composing and working within yourself but you deliberately step away. I feel in order to be honest with what I want to do, I need to take a bit of time out, recharge, listen for a while. When you get into the work mode, you get very little time to listen as you are involved in your own work. Music is always evolving so you need to be updated. Aur logon ko bhi ek break dena chahiye to make sure they miss you. Better that they say, ‘oh he’s here’ than them saying ‘Oh, he’s here again!” he quips.
Of late, a number of films are using old Hindi hits to evoke nostalgia and connect with the audiences. Adnan doesn’t think the trend of using old songs in new films is a “new phenomenon” as it has been “happening around the world for years”. “Yahan woh hota hai that’s happened in Hollywood. Like in the film Pretty Woman (1990), the song Oh, Pretty Woman sung by Roy Orbison in 1964 was used. They have used AC DC, Back in Black in Iron Man (2008). Hum ab kar rahe hain. Puraane gaane nayi films mein as is use kar rahe hain. They stopped musicals long ago and while we used to have a requirement of song and dance in every film, a lot of the music is in background in our films. As for the trend, I think it’s good as there’s some great melodies out there from the past which are being revived and it’s nice for them to be introduced to today’s generation. And as for new artistes doing covers, as they are done all over the world and like paying a tribute to the artiste but my only concern is that sometimes if a mukhda is used and a new anatara is written, the credit should be given to the original composer while taking credit for the new song. There should be due diligence to give due credit because that’s the honourable thing to do,” he ends.
