Nisha Jalori | nisha@jalori.co.in

“Every human being is heir to an inheritance to which he can succeed only in a process of learning.” Such has been the legacy of the great artiste, Raja Hasan, who inherited music, but nurtured it through his hard work, dedication and Riyaaz. Today, we are in a candid conversation with him, wherein he will reveal facts about his musical lineage and his journey.

Music is in your genes, so did you decide to take it up as your career at the onset?

Music surely was passed on to me through my father, family members and the musical environment at home. Had not decided then that will pursue musical career, but the elders did force to do rigorous Riyaaz, which paved the way and helped greatly in finding Music Gurus.

Tell us about your musical journey.

I credit my musical journey to my city – Bikaner in Rajasthan as there were great many maestros. Also, my family, who were well versed in music. I learnt the nuances of music from many Gurus – some directly and some by silently observing others and understanding their techniques. I still feel that have not achieved anything great and am still in the learning process. Besides music, I also learn from others to improvise myself in different walks of life.

You have won many singing reality shows, so how far do these shows go in shaping up one’s career?

Reality shows do assist in shaping the career of artists, even benefitting them monetarily. These shows pave an easy path getting you recognition, bringing you to the forefront to catch the attention of the Music Industry. But it is only your talent, hard work and dedication to your art that can actually make you climb the ladder of success.

You just recorded two songs with the maestros – Sanjay Leela Bhansali and AR Rahman, so how was your experience of working with them?

Will first talk of my song Sakal Ban from Heeramandi. Had never imagined that will ever work for Bhansali Sir as it’s known to all that his production house works on a different level altogether – very meticulous on every detail. Will credit this opportunity to Shreyas Puranik, who approached me for this. On reaching the studio, I was asked to sing this Bandish in a very primitive tone, something like that in the ancient times. Till the end, I did not know that I was part of such a big project. So, my heartfelt thanks to Sanjay Sir and Shreyas for this wonderful song.

As for A R Rahman Sir, he had called me sometime in 2019 before lockdown. He wanted a collection of some Quranic duas to be sung. I sang and sir was very impressed by my rendition of these Arabic verses. Well, little did I know at that time, that these will feature in the film – Aadiyujeevitham after 3-4 years. I always wished and prayed that someday, I be betrothed with something big in life. These two songs came as a blessing to me. It was a fantastic experience working with SLB and AR Sir and through Swar Aalap also, want to express my heartfelt gratitude to these maestros.

Tell us about your upcoming projects.

Not much can be said about upcoming projects as we sing many songs and only after their release, do we know that it has been used somewhere. The above two songs also happened thus. Well, know for sure that one of my wonderful songs is coming in actor Inam-ul-Haq’s film. Have sung many songs of late but can only tell once they are released. So, just keeping fingers crossed.

How do you match the singing pattern of today to that you have inherited?

That’s a very interesting question. People say that music has changed today. I feel NO, cos 12 Swaras were there yesterday, are there today and will be there tomorrow also. The singing pattern surely has changed owing to Rap incorporation and technological advancements. Our music has earned great recognition worldwide. But as they say – Old is Gold, which remains forever and new keeps changing constantly.

It was great conversing with Raja, who is not only a wonderful artist, but also a very simple, down to earth noble soul. Here’s wishing him great success in every step of the way. Keep Shining.