Wednesday 11 July 2012

SONA MOHAPATRA ''BOLO NA''


(ACTUALIZADO)
SONA MOHAPATRA 
''BOLO NA''
(INDIA,2006) @

Indian Singer Sona Mohapatra was born to a Navy officer had to move to various countries every year, spent five complete years in Africa. Her mother was keen in making her to learn Hindustani music. And Sona had interest in music, Hindi music and in various genres. Sona was passionate to be a singer and she developed to be a pop singer on her own talents. She set up her own band with a new style of blending classical with pop, Bollywood, Folk, Rock and Funk.

Her band consists of electric Strings, Guitars, Drums, Bass Guitars and Keyboards. Her music skills brought her all the non film category music awards in the year 2007 and she was given a great respect from the audience at the prestigious Lincoln centre, New York. Her younger sister Pratichee Mohapatra is also a singer in Band VIVA. Sona always loved singing and chose it as her career but not for the fame of it.

She did her engineering studies in College of Engineering and Technology (CET), Bhubaneswar. She then pursued her MBA degree from Symbiosis. Pune. She worked as Brand Manager in Marico with a grand salary but then dropped her job for her professional singing career.

Sona's recent release DilJale is the first Digital release from India on the Nokia music store. The song is made in the streets of New York and sung with Hindustani touch. Sona Mohapatra said about the video “The visuals of the video embody the transition of night into day and are also symbolic of the beauty and loneliness of the cities we live in.” Some of her big hits are Aja Ve, Bolo Na, Sufi Classic Tere Ishq Nachaya, Abhi Nahin Ana.
Source

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Sona Mohapatra

Richard Bona – look out. This scorching hottie wants to jam with him while she’s readying her new album. Here’s Sona, of “Bolo Na” fame on David Bowie, fame and rocking out 40,000 Punjabis…
Against The Grain By Anand Chandy

"I’m not interested in being a “Bollywood” figurine. I have nothing against it, but I’ve never dreamt of it."

1. People describe your voice as “unusual” or “unique.” We’re totally loving it. How would you, Sona, describe yourself and the entire Sona experience?

I hope this doesn’t sound awfully pompous, but my music & my world are really about bridging the timeless & the contemporary. I love history, architecture & I’m fascinated by how things age. I love the fact that all classical singers reach their artistic peak post their 40s. I want my music to get better with time, but I also want to enjoy the moment. That contradiction is who I am..

2. What is the new “soundtrack-rock” album all about? What was your approach to this project like?

I wanted this to be a concept album, but not in a gimmicky way. I love music that not only paints a mood, but also gives you a sense of place. The songs move from day to night not only in terms of mood, themes &emotions, but also in ‘raagas’. We’re not stringent about it, but the songs are loosely based on the performance time of raagas.

3. How different is Raat/Din from your first album Sona? Can we expect stuff like “Bolo Na” and “Aaja Ve” out of this one too?

The one thing I’m not fond of is repeating myself, but there are some really strong singles on this album. This album is taking a while because I’m hoping to take it to the next level & I’m really pleased with how it’s shaping up.

4. Talking about your unexpectedly enthusiastic gig last night – what does a live show do for you? Do you prefer rocking out a live audience as opposed to recording in closed quarters?

As much as I love being in the studio, the main attraction for me is the stage. There’s nothing like rocking an audience out with my band. To quote the famous pop song, “Live is Life!” ….& I believe I was born to be on stage !

5. Doing live shows throughout India – tier 1 and tier 2 – and getting audiences to bust a move the world over, are audiences abroad a whole lot different? Do you expect a lot more from those audiences?

The big difference is that they’ve heard a lot of great bands, especially New York, which is why I was kinda nervous before I stepped on stage at the Lincoln Centre NYC this year in January. You’ve got to have your act together, or else you get found out real fast ! Having said that, they’re also really appreciative of music from India & as long as you’re not playing what they already do really well, they’re keen on listening to you. I don’t expect anymore or any less from any audience though . For me , a gig is a gig and I always have fun on stage . Im the happiest on stage .

6. How did you get about collaborating with INXS and David Bowie? What was the whole experience like?

I loved working with INXS because ‘Afterglow’ is an Indian song at heart! It’s so melodramatic, epic & romantically ambitious that I just fell for it the moment I heard it. It was great meeting them & hearing them praise our version of the song so much! Since it was released in the UK & did really well, we were planning more such collaborations but then the band went into hiatus, so no news as of now.

With Bowie, it happened through agents, as they were looking for artists who could re-interpret the song, ‘Let’s Dance’, which is a childhood favourite of mine. They loved what we did & it’s supposed to be part of a compilation of remixes of Bowie’s songs. Now all that remains is to actually meet the Thin White Duke himself!

7. Who are some of the artists you want to jam with in the future?

I dream of jamming with the great voices that walk this earth. I actually have a specific & long fantasy wish list. Angelique Kidjo, Wadali brothers, Aruna Sairam, Tori Amos, Youssou N’ Dour, Cassandra Wilson, Cheb Mami, Richard Bona.. The list goes on & on. It’s going to take a lot of riyaaz!

8. Everybody, at some point, has dreamed of being a pop star. What’s the whole backstage and recording experience like?

It’s a dream come true. I pinch myself from time to time! Actually, it’s a lot of fun mixed with a lot of discipline, if you really want to be as good as your heroes.

9. What’s the craziest live show experience you’ve had till date?

It’s got to be playing to stadium packed to the gills with 40,000 screaming Punjabis in Chandigarh. I’d prepared a whole set of Punjabi folk songs for that gig & the audience knew every word I sang! It felt like a sing-along! At times I couldn’t even hear myself. It was nuts! In a good way I mean!

10. You consider yourself the first female lead singer of a band that releases Hindi songs. Is it very different or difficult for a female artiste to make a break into Indian mainstream music?

The live circuit in India has yet to find it’s ground with mainstream non-film music &they have a really hard time slotting me. Just because I don’t want to be defined by Bollywood doesn’t mean I’ve got to sing in English or look like a ‘frump’. I like the contradiction that I am & I’m going to make this country accept me on my terms.

11. You’re part of music’s online generation – that is artists who understand the impact of being a netizen. Is releasing samples of your music online, blogging and spamming hard-core fans more a method of getting rid of piracy or are you closet nerd?

I think the current environment presents a great opportunity for musicians to interact with their audience. I’m quite a technophobe, but I do hear what people on the net have to say about my music. Revenue models have changed so radically in the last decade and it’s a crying shame that the music industry hasn’t bothered to catch up, but as naïve as it sounds, I do believe in the integrity of my audience. I think they would pay for music & artists that they like, if the music companies made it available in the first place!

12. What’s it like being a folk rocker? What are the kinds of influences you draw on to bring out albums in your genre?

I’ve always been inclined towards earthy, rootsy music. Give me the Blues any day! I feel the same way about Indian music. Our folk music has all the ingredients that are vital to pop music – great stories, beautiful melodies & funky grooves. While anybody can sing them, it takes a genuinely great singer to really SING them! So while I listen to most styles of music, I go back to World folk & roots music to really get my mojo working.

13. Did you always want to be a musician? You’ve been doing this since you were six but what’s it like giving up the regular life to be a star?

I always wanted to be a singer & a musician. I’ve always enjoyed looking good. I never set out to be a star. It just isn’t in my list of priorities. I admire artistes like Mallika Sarabhai, Tori Amos & Bjork because they have afiercely unique style of their own that’s part of their persona. That’s what I aspire to.

14. How important is a good knowledge of Hindustani classical music when it comes to creating your style of music?

My knowledge of Hindustani music is something I hope to work on daily. It’s invaluable as it’s the bedrock of all the improvisation in my style of singing. What is most difficult though, is to make it sound natural and effortless.

15. Such diverse influences for R&B to folk rock to even Gypsy Romani – who are some of your favourite artists ever?

Vocally, my biggest inspirations are Girija Devi, Pt. Kumar Gandharva, Begum Akhtar , Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Nina Simone, Tori Amos & Geeta Dutt

16. When people think about a female pop artist in India, they think about the clichéd item girl romp in music videos. What kind of videos can we expect from this album? Who are some of the directors you’re working with?

As we speak, we’re working on our first video. It’s directed by Deepti Gupta, who had earlier directed my “Aaja Ve” video. I love working with her because she really gets the music. We share an aesthetic & world view, so it’s easy to vibe with her. Once I share the concept of the album with her, I let her do her thing on the videos. The videos will be ‘true’ to the songs is all I can say !

17. Why didn’t you try going down the Bollywood path? You’ve got a great voice and you’re good looking.

It’s because I’m not interested in being a “Bollywood” figurine. I have nothing against it, but I’ve never dreamt of it. I have done songs for a few Bollywood movies recently & it was a lot of fun. We’ve even shot a music video for one of the songs. It’s my kind of song, so I’m quite excited about it. If Bollywood wants me for who I am, that’s fine by me, not otherwise.

18. Which artists would you consider as major competition and why?

No one, and I’m being honest. The whole point of music is that it isn’t a race. No one has to lose for someone to win. It’s hard to explain to some people though. A lot of people are still stuck in the zero-sum game.

19. Give us the lowdown on what the future is like for Sona. What are you planning on over the next one year?

I plan to release my album, start playing it live anywhere & everywhere I can. Hopefully, I’ll be able to take it around the world. On a personal front, I’m hoping to study Urdu &Spanish , but please don’t quote me on that..

20. One last thing – could you compose a jingle for Blender – the music & entertainment magazine for the digital generation?

Why not?! Here’s a great way of describing my music – It’s all my influences, aspirations, experiences, realizations & contradictions in a ‘blender’!