Hamsika Iyer Shares About Her Journey & Experiences While Climbing the Ladder of Success

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | October 31, 2019 | Promo Feature

Hamsika Iyer

Hamsika Iyer is the Voice Behind Mega Bollywood Hits – Chammak Challo, Raabta, 1234 Get On The Dance Floor. She is an 8-time award winner, a multi-lingual live performer, a world musician, and most versatile artist. She was a member of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil' Champs Grand Jury for 2 years.

Hamsika Iyer shares a few insights of her journey in an exclusive interview with EVENTFAQS.  

How did your music journey begin and when did you realize that you wanted to pursue a career in singing?

I come from a musical family. My father, Shri .S. Balachandran is my guru and I am still training in south Indian classical music under him. I would like to thank all my gurus for guiding me and encouraging me all along.

In 1995, the very 1st Saregama started and my family & friends pushed me for the audition. I reluctantly went for it and I was super confident I will be kicked out. I was shocked when I got selected. I reached the final where Khayyam Sahab came as the judge. My head was reeling and I had no clue what to sing. I was crying in anger & disappointment that I reached the finals. I lost and that changed my life.

I am so glad I lost in the final because that’s when I told myself, I must have something in me to reach this far. I started looking at music very differently & since then I made music my best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better life. I started singing a lot of ad films. During this journey, I met some fabulous musicians who have helped shape me into a better singer. I met Shantanu Moitra who recorded me for a couple of ad films. Soon after that, he called me for the song  "Chanda re" from Eklavya film directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra in 2007. This song is the only song in the film, made many people sit up & take notice of my vocals. Soon after this, Vishal-Shekar called me for "chammak challo". I have known them for a very long time & they are very dear friends. I couldn't have asked for a better & bigger song from them, Kareena, Akon & Hamsika ... wow, it does feel amazing. After that, once again I got a call from Vishal-Shekar for Chennai express. An amazing duet with Vishal Dadlani for ‘1234 get on the dance floor’. 

After these 2 songs, Pritam gave me  "Raabta" from agent Vinod. I am very happy to have got one of the most romantic songs so beautifully penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. This song is special. After these songs, I have been doing quite a few regional songs too. It’s been a very beautiful journey so far.

2) How do you think classical and Bollywood singing has made you a better performer?

Being trained in classical music, I would like to say that the vocals get flexible because of the Riyaaz we do while learning. And if definitely helps in picking up the melody sooner. I am also a nautanki queen in the family because everyone at home is constantly busy pulling each other's leg and full of drama so that helped me to get into the character of every song I got to sing. Bollywood singing is being the actor behind the screen in the studio, it’s very exciting you always get a chance to surprise yourself when you get to play a very different character through your music.

3)  How important are collaborations, concerts and international tours in the Live Entertainment Industry?

Collaborations are something I always crave for, like a hungry child as soon as chammak challo was out, I backpacked and collaborated with the electronic & psychedelic band called  "Juno reactor", who has given music for the Hollywood film "matrix". I learned so much as a musician and as a human being when I toured with Juno reactor from 2012-2015. We performed at some of the most amazing music festivals in Europe, Ozora festival in Budapest, the boom festival in Portugal, antaris festival in Germany, Kubana festival in Russia, metsa festival in Finland. We also had a blast in Japan ( Tokyo & Osaka). I got to meet some really amazing and humble musicians when I toured with the Juno reactor. I merged my Indian classical style with their western music. Traveled to some exotic places for gigs and faced thousands & thousands of people at the festivals. Grew up as a musician and became a hippie. When you travel and collaborate and perform on the international stage, your mind opens up and you find people go bonkers with the exotic sound of ethnic Indian music. 

I also got a chance to collaborate with the U.K based duo  "Bombay Dub Orchestra". Andrew T. Mackay & Garry Hughes gave me a couple of lovely songs on their album 3 cities and tales from the grand bazaar. 

I also had the privilege of meeting this super talented guitarist & multi-instrumentalist musician named 'Amir John Haddad' for his album 'dos' and he roped me in for a collaboration with a kickass bass guitarist  'Pepe bao' for the album 'andebass'.

Recently I got to collaborate with Talvin Singh. The very famous U.K based tabla exponent and percussionist, Asian underground music producer for the film  "once again". There is something brewing in the pipeline which will be out soon.

4) Tell us about your experience. How do you think the live event industry has shaped up through the years?

The live event industry has opened up many options for the artist. the audience has also changed to a large extent. one of the best things to have happened is that independent music has got an audience. Though Bollywood has the biggest audience, independent music has come a long way. I am very happy I get to enjoy both as I have my Bollywood band and I am also very proud of my world music band that I share with this fantastic music composer Kaushal Inamdar. Our brand is called  'Rasayatra'. 

5) What does it take to become a Live Artist today?

Today if you want to stand out in the live scenario, it’s very important to be a great singer & performer. It is a major plus point if you can connect with the audience. It’s an unexplainable high when I am on stage and experience the love I get from the audience when I perform. The energy you give through your singing multiplies when you see the audience sing along and dance to your music. I am truly blessed to be a musician. I get to do what I love doing most & getting paid for it too.