Shilpa Rao: I have never sung something like Kaavaalaa before

Playback singer Shilpa Rao.

Shilpa Rao's soulful, expressive and trained voice has made her into a much-sought-after singer in the Indian film music industry today. With hits like Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno, 2008), Ghungroo (War, 2019) and Besharam Rang (Pathaan, 2023) for Bollywood composers Vishal & Shekhar and, now, for composer Anirudh Ravichander in the already superhit Tamannaah-starrer Tamil song Kaavaalaa, the first single to be released from the forthcoming Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer, which is set to release on August 10. The earworm of a song, with much oomph and sass, is already a rage on the internet and garnered around 34 million views in just seven days of it landing on YouTube. The song has become a trendy sensation among celebrities on Instagram as well.

Shilpa Rao, who has often said that she wished there were more female-only songs in films, must be happy that Kaavaalaa is that. Shilpa Rao not only continues to engage listeners with her renditions across multiple languages, she's here to make heads turn and hips groove on the right note and key:

In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, she talks about her work, her music training, working in Bollywood and the south film industries. Edited excerpts:

Your song Kaavaalaa from the Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer is already a hit within a week of its release. Tell us about it's making.

For this song, Anirudh (Anirudh Ravichander, composer) had called me and said it's a full female song, so just go for it. When I heard the song, I was actually surprised why he would think of me because, frankly speaking, I have never sung something like this before. I had no idea how he could picture me singing it, but I don't know, it's always the composer's vision. They see something in their foresight, and Anirudh gave me complete freedom to pick my scale, whatever suits the best. He really wanted my voice to stand out in the song, so we dubbed it like that. I had a blast singing it, and I am overwhelmed with the response from people who are loving it. I am just very excited to see the song come to life.

You have been choosing all big projects with songs like this one, and your superhit Besharam Rang in the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Pathaan. What do you keep in mind when you say yes to a song?

It depends on the song and the way I connect with it. Some songs really blow up, and some don't. But the thing is that it's important to do something that you connect with, and I always try to do something new that I have never done before. It's important to keep giving the audience new things to listen to and hear new versions of yourself, so I think we always try to do that.

You have trained in ghazal singing and that reflects in your songs. Tell us about your musical background.

I have grown up listening to ghazals and grown up learning them and singing them. My major Hindustani training has been because of that, because I was learning Hindustani classical music and then I was singing ghazals. I was learning from Hariharan ji and then from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. Ghazals are a very important part of my life, and for the past two years, I have been very aggressively performing it in different parts of India in the proper baithak style like the olden days, when ghazal performers would perform with just the harmonium, tabla and sarangi.

You have kept ghazals and Sufi alive on Instagram, too. However, Hindi films don't have the appetite for ghazals any more, unlike in the past. What do you have to say about that?

You know, I use the technique of ghazal and Sufi in every song of mine right from Malang (Dhoom 3, 2013) to Bulleya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, 2016), Kalank (2019), and even Besharam Rang. So, everything that I have learnt in my music training, I have been using it with my songs, even in Tere hawaale (Laal Singh Chaddha, 2022).

What has been the biggest challenge in your career so far?

The challenge is always being able to connect with the song. Every song is new. Every song has a new identity. You have to create a connection with it and make it your own. And that is always the challenge.

As a singer, when have you felt that you could have sung a particular song better?

Every day. Whenever I hear my music, I feel this. This could have been better; this could have been me. But then you think of yourself when you were recording it and the experience that you had up to that point. You also have to factor in the innocence that you had when you first heard it, and this song was your first reaction. So, you also need to respect that. So yeah, it's a balance that you need to create, but with time, you get better at it.

What are your thoughts on auto-tune?

Auto-tune is something that is a tool that helps people, but it's just technology. Like we have aeroplanes, it just makes your life easy. There is no substitute for music learning, or your original tone, or originality. There is no substitute for emotional expressions that come from a voice. You cannot find a way around it. You auto-tune for every voice, but there is something called individuality in your singing. If you don't have that individuality and training, nothing will work, not even auto-tune. The building blocks of a song or a voice are the expression and devotion from where it comes from. Auto-tune is a subsidiary help; it's not everything.

I’ve seen changes — there are fewer female songs now, a lot of remakes are happening, the music genre is changing. There was no social media when I was growing up, today it is huge.

Shilpa Rao.

From soulful to peppy hits, you've sung them all. You debuted with Tose Naina from Anwar in 2007, while still in college. What changes have you noticed in the Hindi film music industry over the last decade and a half?

Life is always changing, and with the advent of technology, changes will come faster. Earlier it would be quite slow, and there’d be a lot of gap between two changes, but nowadays things are changing drastically and extremely fast. And that is why you need to keep evolving, learn new things, and grow. You cannot just sit with your past knowledge. Functionality and stimulation are extremely important. That is the only way you can cope with the constantly happening changes. There’s no stopping it. I’ve seen changes — there are fewer female songs, a lot of remakes are happening, the music genre is changing. There was no social media when I was growing up, today it is huge. I never imagined that I would have to sing into a phone and post it, but I am doing it. The crux of it all, however, is that music is yours. My only purpose in life is music, and I will keep doing that. If social media doesn't exist tomorrow, it doesn't change anything for me, I will keep singing with the same love.

Singing in the southern film industry and singing in Bollywood, what are the major differences and similarities?

There is a connection with every song be it in any language. The composers, directors, and producers that I have worked with in both industries have one thing in common — they are all very open-minded. They all want to try something new and fresh. So, that is similar. The only thing is that, when it's a new language, you need to learn the correct pronunciation and the correct weight of the words. That is an extra effort. But that also holds for Hindi and Urdu — words need to be enunciated properly.

What has been your biggest ‘if only’ in life?

I don't have any 'if only'. I have made many mistakes and failed many times in my life, and I don't want to change anything. I have learnt from them and grown because of them.

What are your future projects?

There are many projects I’m doing with Vishal-Shekhar, with Sachin (Sachin-Jigar), with Anirudh. I have been looking forward to all these releases, and I hope people love all of them, too.