Riding high on the success of 99 Songs, Shashwat Singh, who rendered five tracks in AR Rahman’s debut production, recalls the distinct methods practiced by the meastro in enabling the project to come alive. “Each song had a different approach, and, for each, I was briefed on the emotional palette. Sir once told me, ‘The one thing you should always do before you enter the studio is remind yourself that the listener should be healed by your voice.’ That is something I always think about. 

Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh, who belongs to sir’s team, helped me arrive at a lot of the nuances that we used. He also wrote the lyrics of Teri nazar.” Tools employed by Rahman to extract the best from his artistes often make for conversation within the film industry, and Singh says he experienced, first-hand, Rahman’s ability to acquaint singers with skills they never knew they possessed.