Music is in our blood - Sagarika
She sashayed onto the musical scene when the album culture was just beginning to strike root in the country. But Sagarika left an impression. So much so that 'Q-Funk,' 'Naujawan,' 'Roop Inka Mastana' and 'Maa' are remembered by music buffs even years after their release. Sagarika, the older sister of Bollywood singing sensation Shaan, took a break from the industry for a few years post marriage. Now on a comeback trail, the singer was in the city recently to sing a solo for composer Sunny Viswanath.
Excerpts from an interview:
On
staging
a
comeback
After
marriage,
I
wanted
to
take
a
break
for
a
year
but
it
went
on
to
be
five
years!
In
the
meanwhile,
I
raised
my
boys
-
Michel
and
Joshua
-
and
transformed
myself
into
a
restaurateur.
My
husband
and
I
set
up
the
Olive
Bar
and
Kitchen
chain
of
restaurants.
Now
it's
time
to
come
out
of
the
bawarchi
image!
We
moved
to
London
some
time
ago.
A
chance
meeting
with
UK
based
percussionist
Talvin
Singh
was
an
eye-opener.
Together
we
did
an
18
city
tour
of
Europe
and
I
sang
mild
classical
numbers.
The
response
and
encouragement
I
got
was
tremendous.
My
singing
debut
That
happened
when
I
was
five
and
with
none
other
than
Mohammed
Rafi!
Mummy
picked
me
up
from
school
and
we
went
straight
to
the
recording
studio.
Singing
the
track,
putting
on
the
headphones...it
was
all
new
to
me.
It
was
only
years
later
that
I
realised
that
I
had
shared
the
microphone
with
a
legend.
The
Bollywood
encounter
As
a
child
artiste,
I
sang
in
nearly
15
films
and
did
a
number
of
jingles.
As
a
teenager,
I
lent
my
voice
to
a
couple
of
Hindi
films.
But
I've
not
had
many
good
experiences
with
the
composers
in
the
industry.
Being
a
girl,
it
was
tough
to
survive
there.
If
a
composer
gave
me
a
song,
it
was
as
if
he
was
doing
me
a
great
favour
than
regarding
it
as
a
professional
exchange.
My
tastes
didn't
match
Bollywood's;
so
I
moved
away.
Turning
point
When
Atul
Chiramani
of
Magna
Sounds
invited
me
to
do
an
album
song,
little
did
I
know
what
was
in
store.
I
took
Shaan
along
and
introduced
him
to
Atul
and
composer
Biddu.
Thus
'Naujawan'
happened.
It
was
a
hit
and
our
lives
changed.
Q-Funk
came
next
and
sold
a
million
copies.
'Disco
Deewane'
'Fifty
Fifty'
and
'Maa'
were
also
lapped
up
by
the
public.
I
needed
a
break
I
was
growing
a
little
tired
of
stage
shows,
fan
following
and
recognition
and
wanted
time
to
discover
my
space
as
a
singer.
In
the
meanwhile,
I
got
married
to
Martin
Da
Costa
(he
runs
an
event
management
company
in
Mumbai),
had
kids
and
got
into
the
hospitality
industry.
The
shift
to
London
brought
my
hibernating
music
career
back
to
life.
Now
I'm
experimenting
with
different
styles
of
music
and
listening
to
gifted
singers
from
all
over
the
globe.
It
was
only
after
the
European
tour
that
I
realised
that
I
had
been
leading
a
frog-in-the-well
existence!
Am
happy
to
discover
a
soul
enriching
world
outside.
In
fact,
when
we
shifted
base
to
London,
I
was
in
search
of
this
feeling.
Now
that
my
younger
one
has
learnt
to
speak
and
can
voice
his
needs,
I
am
ready
to
take
a
plunge
into
music.
My
brother,
Shaan
Being
the
older
one,
I
was
always
protective
of
him.
I
remember
the
days
when
he
used
to
imitate
Kishore
Kumar's
voice
before
he
finally
developed
his
own
style.
Today,
when
I
see
young
singers
aspiring
to
be
Shaan,
I
feel
so
happy
for
that
little
boy
who
cried
at
a
recording
'coz
his
voice
didn't
gel
with
the
music.
Music
is
in
our
blood
(Shaan
and
Sagarika
are
the
children
of
the
late
Bengali
composer
Manash
Mukherjee).
He
has
lived
true
to
dad's
advice
_
"Never
be
satisfied
with
mediocrity." Am
happy
for
his
success.
The
jodi
again?
We'd
love
to
work
together
again.
The
last
time
we
came
together
was
for
'Tomor
Aakash'
(2004),
a
Bengali
album
in
which
we
brought
out
dad's
unreleased
songs.
London
dreams
Music
is
big
time
out
there.
It's
an
exciting
city.
Thanks
to
the
acceptance
and
respect
they
get
in
London,
many
Indian
classical
artistes
have
made
the
city
their
home.
It's
an
amalgam
of
every
culture
you
can
think
of.
I
love
being
there.
My
hobbies
I
finally
became
net
savvy!
It's
amazing
to
have
the
whole
world
on
a
tiny
screen.
I
thoroughly
enjoy
surfing
the
net.
We
often
frequent
restaurants,
especially
Polish
and
Japanese.
It's
fun
taking
the
kids
to
cultural
shows
and
children's
theatres.
Now
that
I'm
trying
to
build
a
career
in
music
in
London
with
a
Brazilian
band,
am
into
learning
Portuguese
and
Brazilian.
Looking
forward
to
Making
quality
music
in
collaboration
with
talented
musicians
from
all
over
the
world.
I
preferred
melodies
but
now
I
am
into
experimenting
with
different
moods
and
textures.
Some
time
later,
I'll
delve
into
devotional
music
but
not
the
typical
style
we
are
used
to
listening
to.
It'll
be
something
different.