Melodious notes to take note

Imagine a girl, barely 10 years old, weaving her way into the hearts of thousands through a TV singing competition. Imagine again the same girl, now a sprightly 14, spellbinding TV audiences with an ambrosial voice one just couldn’t get enough of and winning the music competition by trouncing participants a good many years older. This girl is soon earmarked for further heights of success and sure enough at the age of 18 is given a huge break by an offbeat pair of film and music directors – the music is an unprecedented success and the Hindi film industry finally hears someone worthy of receiving the baton from yesteryear greats like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. Now imagine that girl, all of a youthful and exuberant 22, sweeping the audience off their feet at one of the premier concert venues in the world. This is the short but exhilaratingly true story-so-far of Shreya Ghoshal – a talent par excellence, a classy stage performer exuding equipoise and supreme self-confidence, and most heartening to note, a wonderfully gracious person for whom the audience is a cherished friend and ally who craves only her nectarine musical notes.

Shreya Ghoshal’s performance at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore on April 30, 2006, should go down in musical annals as one of the most assured stage performances ever – and perhaps the best for a performer under 25. We are talking about a cavernous venue seating 1800 people, where the patron in the furthest seat is perched at a good 20 metres from and four storeys above the stage – a stage graced by some of the top musicians, vocalists, dancers and philharmonic orchestras from around the world. In short, a stage set for overwhelming a young first-timer. Yet out came Shreya, with a spring in her step and a dazzle in her smile, wearing an angelic blue gagra-choli that reveals a dint of her obvious nubile allure, stunning the audience just like she did 6 years ago in Devdas with the enchanting Silsila Ye Chahat Ka. The audience sufficiently zapped, Shreya began weaving a web of pitch-perfect notes, delicate passages, enticing nuances, and lively chatter. Catching on the audience’s preference for old songs, Shreya launched on a nostalgic medley of Geeta Dutt melodies. The audience has now well and truly surrendered to her irresistible charm, not unlike a precocious child at a party pulling her “uncles’” and “aunties’” heartstrings as they were a fiddle.

Fiddle indeed she did along with the Deepak Pandit (an upcoming music composer from Mumbai) on the electric violin in an inspired Hindustani-jazz fusion jugalbandi (musical dialogue, in this instance between Shreya’s velvety vocals and Deepak’s electrifying violin) based on Rag Misra Jog. Her “filmi” credentials established, this composition revealed the basis for all her success so far – a finely-honed, rock-solid foundation in Hindustani classical music that began at the age of 6 and continues to date; the foundation that allows her to take up assignments in almost any Indian language. As she herself candidly remarked during the concert before rendering a Tamil and Telugu song, “I do not know the meaning of what I’m singing, but the song has such a wonderful melody and rhythm, so let’s all sing something that we do not know!” This was a masterstroke. Suddenly even those for whom Hindi wasn’t the native language and were perhaps a tad distanced from the proceedings (as much of her chatter was in Hindi), felt one with the rest of the audience. She laid a needless caveat – her “live” pronunciation may not be as accurate as on a record. It was perfect, with hardly a trace of accent. Naturally, she had by then also endeared herself to the Bengali audience (“Ami to hei Bengoli” – with an impish grin) with a soothingly melodious number.

Linguistic groups appeased, Shreya raked up the tempo levels with some foot-tapping energetic tracks that were nevertheless rooted in melody. Regardless of pace, there was no letting up on tonal quality, range or dynamism. Shreya took to the stage like a born-performer, something quite incredible for those who have watched her from her pre-teen years on TV. The stage could very well have been her own living room – such was the level of comfort she had with it and the musicians (who were excellent in their own right). Her exemplary stage presence came to the fore early on in the show when a lady in the audience requested, quite loudly, for a song sung by Shreya that was released just a few weeks ago (from the film Banaras – A Mystical Love Story). With a smile she said she hadn’t prepared for the song but would sing a mukhda (opening/repeating chorus of a song), if she could be helped with the lyrics. The lady, being a good sport, indeed began prompting her. Shreya upped the ante, asking her to come to the stage and help her out. There were no steps from the floor to the stage, so Shreya went on her knees, close to the lady, who prompted her with the lyrics. Her memory sufficiently jogged, Shreya rendered the song with aplomb. Such spontaneity was truly extraordinary from someone so young and performing for the first time at such a prestigious venue before a large audience. Above all, it spoke volumes about true class.

Never for a moment losing her composure or reserve, even when sportingly taking it upon herself to introduce the musicians (after the organisers fumbled badly with their names) and exhorting loud applause for her male accompanist, Ayub Patel, or when indulging in a slight sashay and shimmy to the rhythm, Shreya Ghoshal remained the epitome of grace and perfection.

Source from drishti.wordpress.com

What else can I say folks... Viva La Diva Shreya.