The interview which appears below, was originally aired on Rahmania - Aaha FM in July 2008. Interview excerpt is written by V.R. Vithur from the A.R. Rahman Yahoo Fans Group. ©The rights to this material are reserved to the owner. If you have any concerns or comments, please send an email to info@rahmaniac.com.
Rashid Ali, the first artist signed by A.R. Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory, reflects on his musical journey and collaborative experiences with the maestro. Raised in the UK by a Hindustani classical singer mother, Ali’s early exposure to both Indian and Western music shaped his distinctive style.
Q: How did you start your music career?
RA: Basically, my mummy is a singer. We were based in England, but she was regularly performing in concerts. She sings Hindustani. She did an album with Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Azad. Unfortunately, she became sick and couldn’t continue, so I used to accompany her to these places. He would ask me to sing some covers, and that’s how I started to sing. My parents put me into violin and guitar at the age of nine. I couldn’t take to the violin but took to the guitar, as it suited me better. Singing and guitar went on side by side. I was a singer, and I took to the guitar.
As a kid, I started singing some great Bollywood tracks by Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, and others. I quickly learned what Indian music is about. I also got into Western music, learning and teaching myself the guitar (self-taught). Whatever I have now is passed on from my mom, I guess. I didn’t learn Hindustani formally, but it was always playing in my house, and we got to hear so many tracks. Though we were in England, we stayed in touch with Indian music, and a lot of Indians there also liked Indian music.
I sometimes feel I should have learned classical guitar, but if I had, I probably wouldn’t have done my improvisations. When you improvise, you create your own style. I never listened to Indian singers thinking I wanted to be like them. I wasn’t formally trained in the Indian style, so what comes out is different. I used to listen to elements of Stevie Wonder, but I never wanted to follow his style of singing.
Q: When did you meet A.R. Rahman?
Actually, I met A.R. Rahman in 2001 at a concert. By chance, I mentioned that my mother had worked with Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Azad. Immediately, it struck him, as my mother working with Ghulam Mustafa Azad connected with his sons working for “Piya Haji Ali” with A.R. Rahman. I also said that I was a guitarist and a singer and loved jazz music. Immediately, he told me, “Oh, that’s different for an Asian guy to love jazz music and have an alternative connection with Indian music.” He could relate to it, as he also listened to those styles of music. We just started working on “Bombay Dreams.”
My mother and father are from UP. My roots are in India. I wasn’t introduced to classical music, though as a kid, I also played the tabla. Then, I started focusing on the guitar and singing instead of dabbling in everything. I am trying to bring new elements, which I am exploring. Initially, I was born in Hyderabad. Essentially, I was brought up in the UK.
I have travelled with A.R. Rahman for concerts in the US.
Experience working with “Journey Home”
Really, really good. It was nice working on something close to home. It had subtle Indian elements, though a lot of Western style music. We had some good sessions with A.R. Rahman at night, and they were very memorable. He had set up a studio where he was working from. We used to have fun, talk about many things, and do the recordings.
He invited me many times to come to Chennai. Then, we did one particular Tamil song, “Nadhir Dhinna” from “Paarthale Paravasam.” Actually, we recorded it in London to begin with. There were some Spanish words in it, and it sounded like “A.R. Rahman, A.R. Rahman,” as noted by a member before.
I used to practice guitar more as a kid and never practiced singing that much. I used to practice for hours, trying to emulate various styles. I am not going to copy anybody and will try my own style on the guitar. Essentially, elements come out in Spanish and jazz.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na – Kabhi Kabhi
That started a couple of years back. A.R. Rahman was looking for a fresh voice. I would call it an essentially non-typical Hindi track. The beauty of that song is that it consists of varied elements of style. It’s essentially a very light-hearted, happy number. He asked me to come and play the guitar in it, and he had me in mind for singing it too. Within an hour, we did the scratch track, and eventually, the producers liked it. “Kabhi Kabhi” has really taken off. That’s the first song in the album and a great one for me.
(Lyrics translate to: Sometimes in life you find someone who is meant for you.)
Kahin To
I was asked to do another song with Vasundhara.
Ishq Ada
It’s a completely different one, and people have been saying that it’s so unique. Actually, A.R. Rahman told me to sing it in a different style, and the characterization in the voice is most important. It’s more of a heart-pleading song, sung with a lot of emotions, describing the emotional aspects of love.
Essentially, I want people to know what Rashid Ali is all about. I want to add new elements to Indian music. The forthcoming album is my venture into all this, and hopefully, people will enjoy whatever I offer them.
A lot of people in the UK are drawn to Indian music, especially Bhangra music. They are really getting used to the sounds.
