Her melodious effort made the word “pareshaan”, music to the ears! Shalmali Kholgade, the voice behind the chart buster from the film Ishaqzaade admits, she was “pleasantly surprised”, by the kind of response her maiden Bollywood song generated.
“I came to know through a friend that music composer Amit Trivedi was looking for a fresh voice. I had recorded two demos in English as part of my application for the LA Music Academy, and I couriered those to Amit. Next I know, I was in the studio humming the first two lines of Pareshaan and once I got the green signal, it was time to lend my vocal chords for the entire song,” she recalls.
Shalmali seems to have had an early start, as she forged a connection with music right from her inception. “My mother says I sing because she went for her music classes till her eight month of pregnancy. She insists it is garbh-sanskaar (training the foetus). My mother also happens to be my first guru and the pillar of my musical foundation. I also have an older brother, who grew up on a generous dose of western rock, pop and country music. So, I was fed a diverse diet, that consisted of Queen, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith and then Kumar Gandharva, Kishori Amonkar and Bhimsen Joshi.”
“Frankly, since I hadn’t listened to a lot of Bollywood music before, I didn’t exactly have an idea about the reach and impact a film song can have. So it hardly crossed my mind that what I was singing could be a sensation of sorts. Though I must say, months after the recording, Amit and everyone from his studio kept telling me that the song is a big hit at Yashraj, and it will go places. But I just thought they were patting my back because I was a newbie,” Shalmali adds with a laugh.
The waiting period between the recording and the release ended one fine day, and what followed was a flood of queries. Fondly recalling her initial brush with fame, Shalmali says, “A friend called to say, ‘I’m listening to Pareshaan, it says vocals — Shalmali Kholgade. Is that you?’ I just jumped out of my chair. For a second, I thought the song had leaked, but then I was bombarded with messages and phone calls from people I hadn’t spoken to in ages. I realised what a Bollywood song can do the very first day that Pareshaan released. It was quite a phenomenon in itself.”
The 20-something singer, further belted out another hit number Daaru Desi from the film Cocktail. “I am happy I got two diverse songs in quick succession. I want to keep exploring a variety of genres. For instance, I have just recorded three songs for Mikey McCleary’s second Bartender album, and have sung for the films Aiyya and Mere Dad Ki Maruti, which will be releasing soon this year. I am waiting to sing something in Marathi, hopefully that will happen soon.”
While her career as a playback singer has just taken a flight, Shalmali admits that her ultimate destination is the stage and the euphoria around it. “I come from the ‘band’ background, and it feels like home on the stage. All my dreams are based on a stage, not so much in a studio. I am a performer and I want to do big live shows, musicals, and create a spectacle for the audience,” the budding star says, with a twinkle in her eyes.