Keeping fingers crossed
Singer Shilpa Rao’s collaboration with Anoushka Shankar on the album ‘Love Letters’ has been nominated for the ‘Best Global Music Album’ category in the 63rd Grammy Awards. Read on to know what Shilpa has to say about it
Shilpa Rao, a young artiste from Jamshedpur, stepped into Bollywood with big dreams in her eyes. She survived in the competitive music industry, where cut-throat competition rules the roost and went on to give hits like 'Javeda Zindagi' ('Anwar'), 'Khuda Jaane' (Bachna Ae Haseeno) and 'Ishq Shava' (Jab Tak Hai Jaan) – an AR Rahman song that brought her commercial success.
The incredible singer has once again added a feather to her cap.
Shilpa's collaboration with Anoushka Shankar on the album 'Love Letters' has been nominated for the Best Global Music Album category in the 63rd Grammy Awards. The ceremony will be held on January 31, 2021. The album features exceptionally talented artistes like Ibeyi Alev Lenz, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and of course Shilpa.
Overwhelmed with this honour, Shilpa says, "We need these kinds of achievements in our life to inspire the youth and encourage them to keep excelling in their respective fields. I always say that it's not the award, but the winner's speech that matters. What you say there at the podium will leave a lasting impact on others and will persuade them to work harder."
"Having said that, I believe an artiste's focus should not be the award but his/her work", she mentions, adding, "Instead of worrying about the recognition, the artiste should concentrate on creating good music. I urge all the musicians to ask themselves questions like 'What does my music stand for?', How is it influencing my audience?, 'How much have I contributed to the industry?' and so on. Once you will be clear about your priorities, many things will change."
"As for Anoushka, I really hope she wins. This is her seventh nomination and she is very emotional about it. I wish that her hard work gets rewarded," states Shilpa.
'Love Letters' is the result of collective efforts of several women artists. From singers, to musicians, designers and technicians, everybody associated with the album is a woman. Shilpa says, "It was a great experience to meet all these strong and passionate women, who came together for a cause."
Though Indian Classical music is increasingly becoming popular across the world, Shilpa is unhappy with the fact that it's still underrated and underestimated treasure of our country. "I don't understand why we don't give much importance to our traditional, inherent forms of music – folks, Hindustani Classical music, Carnatic music. Over the years, I have observed drift in the way we (Indians) perceive our music. Forget about connecting with it, we feel it's uncool to listen to it. We are ignorant of the fact that Indian classical music is extremely rich and versatile. It has been fine-tuned for centuries by our ancestors. A lot of thought has gone into its improvisation. It's really surprising but true that we have a song for every moment of life, every situation and every mood. Therefore, as Indians, we need to start valuing our art and culture. Because until and unless we break these barriers in our mind, no change can happen," mentions Shilpa.
She requests the youngsters of our country to look toward to their music, own it
with pride, listen to it and learn it.
As much as Shilpa feels it's important for the youngsters to stop taking their art for granted, she thinks artistes need to come forward and spread awareness. "Initiatives must be taken by the artistes to introduce youngsters to our rich culture. It's my responsibility as a musician. With that in mind, I like to do workshops and discussions with millennials where I openly convey my concerns about music. Besides, I have been doing 'ghazal baithaks' for the past three years intending to keep the music form fresh in everybody's mind."
About the future plans, Shilpa says that she likes to commit to the moment. "I am one of those girls, who if left on their own, will do nothing but chill. Thanks to my management team for pushing me to do things (laughs). I really don't plan my future. All I am concerned about is my craft – I am very particular about my 'Riyaz'
and I constantly think of improving my work. Achievements do make me happy but only for a few moments, and then I get back to the zone where I want to work on my craft."
She concludes her point by thanking all her fans "who have always been so generous and loving. I can't thank them enough for supporting me."
