04 August,2011 10:41 AM IST | | Sheetal Sukhija
Catch Lucky Ali sing tracks from his brand new album Raasta Man at a city mall where he will also be judging upcoming musicians
The world rushes past him with a sense of urgency, the need to achieve something and leave an impact ufffdbut over the years Lucky Ali's music, as if unaffected by the hustle and bustle of life and commercialism, continues to epitomise love and peace. Rounding up his long stint with soulful music, he packs together various emotions in his latest album Raasta Man, which in his own words is a complete package of his own experiences as a nomad.
For over two decades now, Lucky's music has stood out from the rest for being simple, soul stirring and pure and the man has returned to his favourite city, this time to judge a music show happening this weekend at a city mall.
In a t te- -t te with MiD DAY, he recalls his long journey full of ups and downs, talks about his music and his latest album Raasta Man.
He left teen girls swooning to his songs from his first album Sunoh in 1996, stirred deep emotions with Aks in 2001, followed that up with his all time hit Gori Teri Aakhein in 2002 and then returned back to his favourite genre of romance with Kabhi Aisa Lagta Hai in 2004. While his songs spoke about the carefree nature of a person completely in love, Raasta Man is quite introspective and full of deeper meanings.
Having said that, Lucky Ali believes that this transition was not very conscious, "Music is a way of life for me. I wanted to keep my music simple, not simplistic. Simplistic music requires effort, when a musician is trying to be simple. Music should come from the heart; it should not need any pressure. I delve into melodies that attract my soul. But over the years, my music surely has changed because of the experiences I've had," says he.
The release of this album comes after a long break of five years. "Raasta Man speaks about various emotions that a man feels at different junctures of his life. There are happy songs, positive numbers and songs with attitude about a person in his young years, who is hostile towards change. The songs emerged from my own personal status in life at different points," he recalls.
Having been one of the musicians of his time who followed his heart and released music that stirred emotions with all age groups, he says, "You need to say what you feel through your music. If there's joy about finding love, that needs to be expressed, if there's pain about a lost love, the listener needs to feel it.
For example, my music in Sifar spoke about the darker side at the end. For people who believe that everything falls in place at the end, Sifar spoke about how there is no beginning and no end, how everything stretches from emptiness to infinity and back again."
Talking about the commercialism of music in the country, Ali maintains that with his last few albums he has broken the myth that one needs to write music that sells.
"Music that is written from the heart would strike a chord with any age group, whether one is a fan or not. I am not here to do business; music is a way of life. That is the reason I released my last album for free download online only for my fans. There were a few fans who wanted physical copies of the album and so we released that too. But for now I do not want to take the tried and tested path. I want to do something new," explains Ali.
With a 25 city road show planned for his latest Raasta Man, he seems to be taking an unconventional route. "Yes, it is very unconventional and exciting. It is going to be an urban concert where people can experience real music. We want to leave the audiences with something memorable. The rehearsals for the same are on and the interesting thing is that we will be recording the concert live for fans who would not be able to make it there. The road shows will culminate into this grand finale show," he says.
Advising young musicians to keep it simple, Ali says, "I have heard a lot of young musicians and I don't like the fact that many upcoming bands focus mainly on doing covers. I would advice them to keep it simple, be confident about what you do and that would be enough to take you through."
On a lighter note, talking about his children Ali reveals that his daughter is very keen on making a career in music. "This album was made in front of my children. They inspire me to write and the funny thing is that they are quite direct. When they like a particular tune or hook they repeat it and give me feedback. They can tell a good mix from a bad one. My son is quite an introvert but my daughter is into singing. I am encouraging her," he says.
For now Lucky is taking a short break before he hits the road with his new album. With a promise to bring more music, Ali signs off by serenading us with a new song from Raasta Man called Main Kya Karoon?
Catch Lucky Ali at Forum Mall, Koramangala on August 7 as he judges the contestants of the music jam Break Free Call 9611344880
