SHANKAR MAHADEVAN

When you do a pop album, the canvas is completely yours. There is no story situation forced on to your songs - you have the freedom to develop it right from the concept.

Music is so abstract; it is a combination of words and melody.

Music in our schools is considered to be an extra-curricular activity in which you teach your students a few patriotic songs and bhajans that children are not interested in.

I think times have changed, and there's no dearth of talent in the music industry.

Playing with words is like combining different notes in music.

I feel there is a song for every occasion, and India is a land full of music.

I have tried to show the influence of folk music in Bollywood, in Tamil movies, in Telugu cinema.

Heartbreak is something which is part of every person.

Being from a middle-class Indian family, I learned Carnatic music.

I share a lovely relationship with Javed Saab. I understand his method of working.

I don't mind travelling to and fro from Navi Mumbai for work because the calm and serene atmosphere I enjoy here is unparalleled.

In movies, the composers and decision makers are different, so we don't come across classical songs often in films due to lack of interest. The decision makers are non-musical people, so one doesn't get to hear more classical songs in films.

I always believe in using technology for a positive result.

Don't run after shows and money.

'Breathless' was an important milestone in my life.

Over time, people will notice what you are doing. Then you'll be in demand, and when you are in demand, you'll make money.

My basic grammar is in Indian classical music, Carnatic music, and Hindustani music, but I don't believe that that is the only form of music I will learn. I don't believe in that, because I am a very open minded person.

Bollywood takes up a lot of time.

Despite being a classical musician, I keep poking my nose in other genres of music.

Fundamentally, if there is any secret, it is about the need to find that peace and calm in our personal space with music, as most of 'learning music' is about listening to music and practicing over and over again.

Our sons are the next generation who are more clued into the new trends of music. So if I want to understand the vibe of the new generation, and if I want to stay relevant with time, they are my source of learning.

I don't think you can have a calculated approach towards learning music.

You have to be, become, the musician who can't be replaced.

I quit my software engineer job, decided that I would be a singer, and got married. Those days, there were no platforms like the 'Indian Idol.' It was like, you decide to become a singer, and then what do you do? It must have been tough for my wife getting married to a man without a job.

There is nothing else is India which is as popular as Bollywood. Look at Indian classical music, how big and how respected it is in the West, but here in India, no one is interested.