Baiju Mangeshkar: Never intend to use my surname to get work

MUMBAI: Baiju Mangeskar, nephew of playback legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, says it is tough to be in the Bollywood music business but he wants to find his voice using his merit rather than family name.

Baiju's first solo album, "Within You", has released. Asked why he seems more interested exploring the independent music scene rather than film playback for a career, he says he is too introverted to push himself aggressively for opportunities in Hindi film music.

"The music business has changed, from the days when my father and aunties were working. I always wanted to find my own voice as an artiste rather than go by my family name. By nature, I am an introverted person so I cannot push myself aggressively to find opportunities in Hindi film music. I did sing for a Bollywood film but it did not release. The project did not materialise. I lent my voice in Marathi film music, too. So, I did start my career as a playback singer," Baiju told IANS.

Baiju, who is composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar's son, added: "As an individual, I do not differentiate between film and non-film music. If you look at the career of Lata aunty and Asha aunty, they also pursued music in different regions and on different platforms - be it film or independent albums. In our household, music is a sacred thing. There is no distinction of genres."

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"These days the whole system is different. At times, five singers are made to record the same song, and the final decision on whose voice will be retained in the album is taken by people who are not necessarily musically educated. Earlier, the final call was taken by the music director. These days, at times it is the producer, the film director, the actor -- the list goes on," added the singer who released his Sufi album "Ya Rabba" along with aunt Lata Mangeshkar in 2014.

"Even I recorded two songs -- I do not want to name the songs -- but in the final album, my voice was not kept," claimed Baiju.

"Within You" comprises six songs sung by Baiju around the theme of Sufism. The album has been musically arranged by Jatin Sharma and young poetess Amruta.

The singer-composer also collaborated with veteran international musicians like jazz harp instrumentalist Susan Mazer and the master of woodwinds and saxophone, Dallas Smith.

Also read: Baiju Mangeshkar recreates 1960s English classic song