Asha Sing's Interview: 'Prema' Is Fused With Usher's 'Scream'

By Shekhar H Hooli And Vivek Chhetri

Published: Monday, June 30, 2014, 13:49 [IST]

International singer Asha Sing hogged the limelight after her debut single 'Mercy' landed in the seventh spot in the US Billboard chart. The singer, songwriter and music composer is now all set to perform her first Telugu/English fusion song 'Prema' at the ATA stage in Philadelphia, USA on July 3 and 4. She is all excited about her performance at this event, which is being held in collaboration with American Telugu Association.

In an exclusive interview with Oneindia, she gushed that her first Telugu/English fusion song 'Prema' is about an unforgettable love and it is fused with Usher's hit track 'Scream'. Meanwhile, she also spoke about her singing career and her performance. We bring you the excerpts of her chat with us. Read Asha Sing's interview.

Tell us something about your Childhood and upbringings.
I was born in New York and raised in South Florida. I've been singing all my life and originally started singing in my church choir.

What motivated you to get into music industry?
I didn't really understand what I was getting myself into till I entered college. I had been singing and performing all my life but started to understand it as a business when I started classes at The University of Miami my freshman year. The knowledge I gained there is what gave me the tools to enter and pursue this industry.

How did your family respond to your dream of becoming a singer?
It was a very natural reaction. No one shocked and everyone kind of just expected that. I had been performing for years before i went to college and it just seemed like the next logical step.

Having an Indian origin, how difficult was it to become a pop singer?
I've had my ups and downs. This industry is not for the weak. You build character and strength through every rejection. You stay humble through every win. I've had people tell me if I don't dye my hair blonde, I won't make it into the music industry. Others have told me that my unique Indian origin is what is going to help me break through. Everyone has their own opinion, it's just surrounding yourself with the ones that matter. Continue to read Asha Sing's interview in the slideshow.

As a singer, what major differences do you find between the modulations and dynamic vocal ranges that are used in Eastern-classical Indian music and Western Classical or even Pop for that matter?

Its a very unique and beautiful sound. I love the scales Eastern music has and try to incorporate it in everything I do. Ragas stick to notes specified in their scale while western phrases travel in and out of different scales. There are also certain notes that both western and eastern favor differently.

6. A few upcoming international singers are expanding their market by holding music concerts in India. Do you have any such plans?

Absolutely. I have plans, but let you know them in future.

7. When will your first album be out?

The plan right now is to release singles. Maybe I'll release an album in another year or two but I really want to be able to take the time to create an album that flows and makes sense. Singles are a lot easier to create and distribute.

Who is your favourite Indian musician? Given a chance, would you like to work with him in future?

I have a few - SPB and AR Rahman are my top two. It would be incredible to collaborate with them.

Regarding the music genre, which has taken a progressive leap in the past few years, commercially speaking, what according to you will be lucrative in the upcoming years?

This is hard to tell. House and EDM is what is trending now.

Since you are Indian in origin, and the country is musically categorised as eastern-classical, do you have any plans of entering the same arena any time soon?

I don't think I would ever release anything eastern classical unless I got to work with someone who could train and work with me on a specific project. My main focus is relating to my generation and creating music for kids who have grown up in America that have experienced both Western and Eastern cultures like myself.

If looked from the perspective of the contemporary pop-culture, it is fascinating to see more and more artists coming in with songs with a different taste and catchy tunes. If you had a chance to experiment with fusion and pop, do you think it will meet the likes of Norah Jones or even Rihanna?

I love experimenting fusion and pop sounds together. That is exactly my style as you can hear in my single out now "Mercy" (bhangra pop). Rihanna is a great example of fusing Caribbean sounds with commercial pop. Another artist I look to is Shakira. I was fortunate enough to be a back-up dancer and singer for her in the past, Her artistry has influenced me greatly. It's my goal to have artist like Norah Jones and Rihanna hear my fusion and i think if it reached them they would definitely dig the American Indian vibe.

Would you be interested to enter the Bollywood scene if given a chance?

Definitely! Bollywood is so fun and beautiful.I love the fact Priyanka Chopra is entering the American Market. I would love to sing or write an American Hindi fusion with her in a bollywood movie.

Bollywood playback singers are pretty popular and are celebrated more in India than the solo artists in particular. If you are aware of the music scenario of India (excluding the rock/metal bands), do you think it influences the music scenario globally? And since you are one of the popular artists yourself, how do you think it touches the global music scene in any way?

I haven't seen a huge impact of Bollywood playback singers in America, I can't speak for the rest of the world. With the exception of the Jai ho soundtrack, I think the reason Indian music has not hit on a global everywhere scale is because of the language barrier. As you can see with artists like Shakira, Pitbull,,or Jennifer Lopez, their culture is very prevalent in the music, but by including english lyrics their songs hit universally. I think for a playback artist to reach a global scale, there needs to be a fusion of languages so more than one country can relate to it. English is the universal language of the world currently.