00:00The God of the beautiful seems to be
00:04My friend, you seem to be the most beautiful
00:09The God of the beautiful seems to be
00:13The concept of sound keeps changing
00:16Naushad, C. Ramchandra, you can see the sound of their time
00:22Then Panchamda, LPG came, their sound was different
00:26And now it's Rehman, Nadeem Shaban and Anu Malik
00:30Whatever I do, I want it to be of the same standard
00:35And with the same sophistication
00:40Hariharan Ji, you are the first South Indian
00:43And as a Ghazal singer, you are very famous
00:46So what do you have to say about that?
00:48I am very thankful to Shri Jaidev Ji for this
00:55Because in 1978-79, I learnt light music from him
01:03And he gave me my first break in the film Gaman
01:08So at that time, I was learning how Ghazals are sung
01:16Or how they are composed
01:23And I was learning this
01:25And I was very inspired by Mehdi Sahib
01:29So I wanted to do something in this field
01:34So Jaidev Ji said, you sing well in Madrasi
01:40And you will get better while practicing
01:42But learning Urdu is very important
01:45If you want to become a Ghazal singer
01:49So I started learning from Mrs. Chand Bala
01:56And I learnt Urdu from a few teachers
02:02So that's why I am able to sing well
02:10In Gaman, your song was very popular
02:13Even after that, it took you a long time to establish yourself as a singer
02:18My introduction was as a playback singer
02:23After that, I did 4-5 films
02:28Like Ram Nagri, Amar Milan, Theesri Aankh, Dard Ka Rishta, Zamana
02:38But after 1978-79, my concentration turned towards Ghazals
02:45And I struggled a lot, I am still struggling
02:52It takes a lot of time to establish your own style
02:58I have been in this field for about 15-16 years
03:03And I still think that people can identify my style
03:10I am lucky that they like it also
03:13Who do you consider to be the first break of your life?
03:17Because of which you have received a lot of recognition
03:20The first break?
03:22In the film, people listened to me for a while
03:30And the biggest break was in Bombay, Roja Bombay
03:35And in Ghazals, I have about 15-16 albums
03:43Reflections had a very good response
03:48Reflections is the title of a Ghazal album
03:51After that, Hazir, which I did with Ustad Zakir Hussain
03:57It had a very good response
03:59And recently, Gulfam and Paigam
04:03These two albums, I think, have crossed a lot of barriers
04:08Hariharan Ji, you often sing classical bass
04:11Is it your own choice or have you been offered all of these most of the time?
04:17There is a custom in the film industry
04:22That a person comes and they type it in along with him
04:27That this person can do this
04:29Although, I have learnt classical
04:34And I would say that every singer should learn
04:40To type in the notes and the rhythm
04:46But I would like to sing all styles
04:51And I am a singer
04:54Because I have formed an image
04:57I would not say classical
05:03But I would like to sing melodious songs
05:08That is also a good thing
05:13For every type of song, like the Screen Awards
05:18For the film Haqeeqat
05:21That song is a typical commercial type song
05:26And I am happy that they are taking me seriously for such songs
05:34And what type of songs do you personally like?
05:37There are two types of songs
05:39Good songs and bad songs
05:41So I like to sing good songs
05:44Have you always wanted to become a singer?
05:48I think, after 17-18 years, I thought I would become a singer
05:55Hariharan Ji, you have sung so many songs
05:59Ever thought of music direction?
06:02As far as Ghazals are concerned
06:05I have composed 200-300 Ghazals
06:11But I don't want to do it commercially
06:14Because that is a different subject
06:17And I don't want to dilute myself by doing a lot of things
06:22I want to keep my concentration towards singing
06:29You have worked with so many music directors
06:32So which director have you been most comfortable with?
06:36I have worked with Jaidev Ji
06:41Usha Khanna, Pancham Da, Lakshmi Ji
06:47And recently I have worked a lot with Rehman Ji
06:50I feel very comfortable with them
06:54Anand Bilin, Dilip Singh, Sameer Singh
06:57I feel very comfortable
06:59So I think, when you tune in with someone
07:04Then it becomes easier to work
07:07If you were offered to perform a song like rap or tech
07:12Would you do that?
07:14I won't do it because I won't be able to do it
07:19Because to sing rap you need a different talent
07:24A different temperament
07:28Maybe I don't have it
07:30But I have done a fusion album
07:33Me and my friend, his name is Leslie
07:37And I have sung in English
07:41So I am open to a lot of things
07:43It's not that I just want to do this or that
07:46What kind of music do you personally like to listen to?
07:50I listen to Hindustani classical to Carnatic classical
07:56I listen to western music
07:58Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder
08:02Michael Jackson
08:04Whatever good music
08:06And I love western symphony also
08:10Indian folk, Rajasthani folk
08:13I listen to everything
08:17Because I really feel I am a student of music
08:20And the more you listen, the better it is
08:24What is the difference between Ghazal and other songs?
08:28Ghazal means
08:30Chatting with your lover
08:33It's a conversation
08:36Conversation
08:39You sing the way you speak
08:42Like this
09:00It should feel like
09:02There is a person sitting in front of you
09:05And we are singing for him
09:08We don't project the voice
09:10Like we do in films
09:30In film music, there is a lot of drama
09:33You are in a situation
09:35You are not singing
09:36A hero is singing
09:38And hero is always bigger than
09:45He is larger than life
09:47So that type of projection, that type of drama
09:50If you are singing outdoors
09:52You have to project your voice
09:54But in Ghazal, it's not like that
09:57You are sitting in a room, in a gathering
10:00Sitting in front of your lover
10:04You are having a conversation with him
10:07So this is a different type of projection
10:11Hariharan Ji, you are so busy
10:14So how do you manage to find time for your family?
10:19That's the problem
10:22My wife and kids
10:25They all ask me where I am
10:28They are not able to give me time
10:30But I say
10:32To be busy
10:34We have tried so hard
10:37To have so much work
10:39So when we have work
10:43We take it in a positive way
10:45And do a good job
10:48I try to balance both
10:50Do you feel that
10:52To sing any song
10:54Classical knowledge is very important?
10:56It is important
10:58Because if you want to work
11:00In an office
11:02You have to be educated
11:04You can't say
11:06I know everything
11:08It's God's gift
11:10I agree that
11:12It's important to have a soul
11:14It's important to have a voice
11:16It's important to have a feeling
11:18It's important to have a mind
11:20But if you learn
11:22You are polishing it
11:26It's very important
11:29What do you think
11:31Of the new remixes
11:33Of old songs?
11:37It's the old wine in the new bottle
11:39I think it's okay
11:41It's a nice laugh
11:45Because
11:47With time
11:49Every 10 years
11:51In the music industry
11:53The concept of sound changes
11:55Like
11:57Naushad, C.Ramchandra
11:59Look at the sound
12:01Of their time
12:03Leave aside the melody
12:05A rhythm
12:07A recording sound
12:09This is different
12:11Then Panchamda
12:13LPG
12:15Then Bappi Lahari
12:17Their sound is different
12:19And now it's Rahman
12:21Nadeem Shravan
12:23Dilip Singh
12:25Their sound is different
12:29I think
12:31When we are talking of
12:33Recording old songs in a new way
12:35They are giving a different
12:37New sound to the old song
12:39It's just adapting
12:41To today's needs
12:43It's a good thing
12:45What's your favourite song?
12:47It's a difficult question
12:50Because
12:52Every song
12:54We sing
12:56With full concentration
13:00So will you listen to some songs?
13:20Hariharan ji
13:22In the future
13:24What kind of singer
13:26Would you like to establish yourself as?
13:32Right now
13:34I work in 3-4 industries
13:36Like
13:38Film industry
13:40What do you call it?
13:42Ghazal industry
13:44And then
13:46I am going to do a fusion album
13:48It's been recorded
13:50It's going to be released
13:52In the month of April
13:54It's in English
13:56So I would like
13:58Whatever I do
14:00It should be of the same standard
14:02With the same sophistication
14:04And I
14:06I pray to God
14:08That whatever I do
14:10May you
14:12Be blessed
14:14And you like it
14:16That's the most important thing
14:18If you are there with me
14:20Then I am here
14:22Otherwise I am nowhere
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