Silken voice Like everything else there is good and bad art, says Hariharan

We've watched him on television, heard his soulful music on movie soundtracks, but nothing could prepare us for Hariharan's voice on the telephone. Almost melodious in intonation with soft lilts punctuating every line, he speaks, hesitantly first and then warming up to subjects close to his heart. Today, the musician who started singing ghazals as far back as the late seventies, is doing playback singing for Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. He has also completed a ghazal album, in a genre of music which he likes to call Urdu Blues. “Music is a reflection of society," he says. "It is an art form and I believe, like everything else there is good and bad art." Hariharan admits that there is a lot of mediocrity in the industry today. "People are not into serious music anymore," he says ruefully. "It is not an absence of real talent. It's just that people have got used to electronic sounds and acoustics are now outdated." As for the remix craze these days, he believes that it is good if an old melody is given new life. "But everything depends on whether a song is tastefully done. Music today is all about attitude, not talent." Another great enemy of the times, according to Hariharan is the download option available on many computers. "Why would people go and buy music when they can download 1000 songs in a couple of hours?" he asks. When he is not singing or composing music, Hariharan loves watching movies, following football games and enjoying good company, in that order. An artiste, according to him, can only be successful if he gives 100 per cent of himself into a song. "You have to be emotive, only then can you touch people." As for the future, Hariharan is determined to go global. "I also want to do a lot of crossover music," he adds.

Tags: ghazals