'I don't like the way music is treated today'

Kumar Sanu, who has sung for over 300 films, shot to fame with Aashiqui 's blockbuster songs in 1990; he pretty much stayed on top for almost a decade.

The singer took Nithya Ramani down memory lane, and gave her wonderfully deep insights into his career.

Let's start with Aashiqui. How did you get so sing in that film?

I was preparing a demo cassette for music directors when Jagjit Singh noticed me. He gave me my first break. He introduced me to Kalyanji-Anandji and they took me in Jaadugar (1989). Before that, I had sung for Jeena Tere Galli Mein and Jurm. Aashiqui happened later.

But I did not have to struggle -- like waiting in the sun and rain to meet music directors. Thankfully, I did not have any financial problems. I was financially sound and could travel in cabs to the music directors' places.

The only time I struggled was in my profession. My voice had a strong resemblance to Kishore Kumar. I had adopted Mukeshji and Mohammed Rafisaab's style too but Kishoreda's style was dominant. When I tried to detach myself from Kishoreda's voice and do something to make my own identity, I had to really struggle.

Besides me, there were six other singers whose voices resembled Kishoreda's -- including Abhijeet, Vinod and Amit Kumar. When I got my first opportunity to sing all the songs in a film, I had to give a different voice to each song, with a touch of Kumar Sanu.

When I was recording for Aashiqui, I tried my best not to imitate Kishoreda. I have a very heavy voice, so I tried to loosen it a bit and sing naturally. People loved it.

How did you feel when people said your voice resembled Kishore Kumar's?

It felt good. It is a matter of pride if your voice matches a legendary singer. Some people get offended when they are told that their voice resembles another singer. People even said that I was copying Kishoreda. But I was happy with that. It motivated me to sing better.