Singer Akriti Kakar has just released a new song, Thomkiya Thomkiya as an independent musician. Talking about the song, she tells us, “I met the composer Shubham Moitra while judging for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Bengali. The conversation about a song started in January and February but we did not find the right time. Then, we thought what better time than Durga Puja. When Shaan heard the song he loved it, and said let us collaborate. The song was sung over four days while the video was shot, edited and colour corrected over three days.”
The song is a mix of Hindi and Bengali. She says, “It was my idea. Just a Bengali song would block out the Hindi audience. But I believe in bringing back folk music. I wanted to bridge the gap between my original song and the old one. I blended it out to make it festive.” Akriti Kakar also spoke about how lockdown was very helpful for independent artistes and musicians. She said, “
When lockdown happened, films stopped releasing and likewise film music did not come out. It was quite a win win for independent musicians. When things opened up slightly, independent musicians made a lot of videos. They used the time smartly. There was a void due to lack of film music which they filled with independent music and videos.”
The lady also opened up on being a reality show judge and how false praise is very detrimental for people. She tells us, “Personally, and thankfully the kind of reality shows I did we were not forced to say anything….if we go as judges and always appreciate people get the impression that contestants are flawless. It is important to be honest to ourselves. If I am not honest I am lying and I can’t do that. For me, music is worship. Praise does help in growth of an upcoming talent. But then, if someone has shortcomings there are ten different ways to express it…I have been on reality shows as a contestant too. I would be heartbroken if someone said my voice has no good. But as a judge I feel I should give suggestions for betterment. It could be advising a change in technique. I feel right moderation is more useful than criticism.”
She further elaborates, “It is our duty, I would give suggestions to how to pronounce better…As a child, I had a lisping issue I would have double teeth…my guruji would keep a small Nataraj pencil in between my teeth and tell me to sing with that pencil in my mouth. He also made me read Hindi papers. At times, you need to pinpoint that performance is taking over singing. Appreciation is important but showing the right path is more important. If we do not do that the kids will be in dire straits in real world. They get a rude shock when the show’s over.”
