Hariharan has sung songs primarily in Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu. He is also a well-established ghazal singer and one of the pioneers of fusion music in India. He made his debut in the Tamil music industry in 1992, with his first song being composed by one of the greatest music directors, A.R. Rahman, for the movie 'Roja.' He went on to collaborate with several renowned music directors, and many of the songs he sang became massive hits. Let's watch a flashback interview with Hariharan on Lehren, where he discusses his struggles, major break, musician Jaidev, his ghazal journey, and rise in Bollywood. #hariharan #tuhire #hariharansongs #lehrenpodcast
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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