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Khaleej Times

Why Shaan is collaborating with a Dubai poet for his first ghazal album

As the elevator doors opened in the lounge of a plush five-star hotel in Dubai, Shaan emerged in smart casuals, presenting that famous toothy grin before giving his friend a warm hug. One of the highest-paid Indian singers who has some of the biggest chartbusters in Bollywood history under his belt, the 52-year-old was a picture of poise and humility, polite to every staff and guest who walked up to him for selfies. A glittering near-three-decade-long career in the glitzy world of Indian movies has failed to lure him away from the cocoon of his simple life. No wonder Shaan felt the warmth in the 'simple and pure' words of his Dubai-based Indian friend, Amaan Haider Zaidi, who he gave that warm hug to at the hotel lobby. Haider, 45, is not just a friend of a celebrated Bollywood singer — he is a renowned Urdu poet whose mellifluous renditions have warmed the hearts of diplomats and star international cricketers and captivated audiences at symposiums in Houston, Montreal, Manchester, Kuwait, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne, Sydney, Delhi, and Kabul. The purity of his poems also struck a chord with Shaan who is now ready to release his first ghazal album based on Haider's poems from his book, Apni Amaan Main Rekhna, which was released at Expo 2020 by Sunjay Sudhir, the Indian ambassador to the UAE. In a freewheeling chat with City Times, Shaan opened up about Haider's writing which inspired him to dive into the world of ghazals. Can you tell us how you got connected to Haider? And when did you decide to make a ghazal album? I met Amaan bhai at the Expo 2020 in Dubai where he played a very strong role in organising everything because he works at VFS Global. At the Expo, there were so many Indian artists coming in regularly and he was organising visas for the entire groups. So he was one of the busiest people in the middle of all that. He's also a poet. So we got talking, and then, you know, he presented me with a book, a copy of his poetry, and I read it, and on my own, I called him up, and I said that I would love to compose his poetry. So he's like, 'Please feel free'. I have already composed five ghazals now, and there will be a sixth one soon. So now I hope in the month of May, we shall have the album launch. And this is going to be your maiden ghazal album… Yes, it is the first time. Actually, my father (late composer Manas Mukherjee) was wonderful in composing ghazals. And growing up, we had some legendary poets in our home. So I always wanted to dabble in the genre, but then I always felt a little intimidated because, you know, in ghazal you need a certain maturity, a certain sort of vocal prowess, you know, you just can't sing like an ordinary song. That's always been the way ghazals have been. But we've over the years, realised that you can simplify it. And so we've created a modern set of versions which I hope people will like. You have worked with some iconic lyrists in India. So what is about Haider's writing that appealed to you? Look, it's always when you read something you haven't read before, that excites you. Normally, in poetry what really intimidates you is not the thought, but the words. I would call those heavy-handed poetry, they use words that people are not familiar with. So you try to intimidate them with your words and heavy writing. But it was very different with Amaan bhai, it was not the words, it was the thoughts, it was the purity and the originality. It really surprised me. And what's even more beautiful is that he wrote them out of passion, it's not his profession. And that makes it more engaging, you know, someone is writing not to increase his work or increase his popularity or make more money, but he is writing because those thoughts are coming to him. Is Haider among your biggest discoveries in your musical career, considering the fact that he is not a full-time writer? I won't call him my discovery, but definitely a surprise package. Everyone has their own journey. At some point, they have their own release of how they put their emotions out. I think he uses poetry. He uses poetry as his release. He is a man with a very busy schedule doing a lot of things. So I think he uses poetry as his speech. He is not my discovery for sure. His book is out. He's been he's been invited to a lot of poetry symposiums across the world, so many people have discovered him. But I will have the honour of actually composing his poetry for the first, that's good. You said the simplicity of his words appealed to you. Do you find the simple things in life most appealing? Is that one of the reasons you have remained so down-to-earth despite being on top of your profession for such a long time? First of all, a small correction. I haven't really been on the top for a long time, but I have been around for a long time. You can say that. But yeah, this humility question I've been getting for the last 25 years for some strange reason, but I still have to answer it. I just like to say that, you know, I saw success from my father's point of view, I saw failure from my father's point of view, and I think I was prepared for both from a very early age, and I believe it's all a matter of chance. So if success gets to your head, which means that you believe that you have earned that success, then it's a very big disillusion. Success anyone can get, you know, if their stars are aligned in the right place at the right time, they can get success. So you can't let success get to your head. What should actually get to your head is gratitude. And I always feel that there's a lot more to be done. There's a lot more I want to do, more self-improvement, bettering myself and my heart. Final question. In your field, have you seen anyone using AI for better music, and better compositions? In music, I have yet to come across someone who is using AI. I'm not aware of the music producers who are secretly taking that aid. But when people started using auto-tune, our self-respect was hurt, we were like, 'Why do I need auto-tune? I will work harder and give the perfect take'. But then we realised we couldn't compete with auto-tune. So everyone joins the bandwagon. Similarly, once AI becomes a practice with a few, everyone else will have to fall in line and use it. You just have to figure out how we can save ourselves through patenting, maybe our voices, our styles and how legally you can protect yourself.