Jan 14, 2025 12:53 AM IST
As Sonu Nigam and Vishal Dadlani mark their first non-film collab with the single Jaan Le Gayi, they talk about the experience and what sets the project apart
This is, inarguably, a great time for music aficionados in India, because besides some fun collaborations for film outings, they are also getting to enjoy offbeat collabs in the indie space. While they have worked together on several Hindi film songs, musicians Sonu Nigam and Vishal Dadlani marked their debut collab for a single, Jaan Le Gayi, last month. The song, which is part of the album Bhoomi 2024 – a brainchild of composer duo Salim-Sulaiman, has been penned by Shraddha Pandit and has almost two million views on YouTube.
Nigam calls working on the song and with Dadlani a treat. “Jaan Le Gayi was the first song that we recorded for Bhoomi. But everyone loved it so much that it was decided to end the Bhoomi season with the track. I’m a sound person and I get very touched by voices. Vishal ki awaaz mujhe bahut touch karti hai. Despite his rock background, he has a soul for Indian melodies, which is so rare. I was so happy we collaborated for our first non-film song together. Vishal is a malang kind of a person and I love his vibe,” he says.
For Dadlani, coming on board for the song was a yes at the very outset. “I was on a paragliding trip in France when Salim (Merchant; composer) called me and said he wanted to do the song and that I’d have to sing along with Sonu Nigam. My brain broke a little, because it’s not easy to sing with Sonu. It was something I had never done before. So, I knew it would be very challenging as a singer to even go behind the mic. I don’t consider myself a singer, although Sonu and Salim always say kind things about my vocal performances,” he says.
Dadlani adds that shooting the music video was even more fun: “It was a concert-like setting. Both Sonu and I are very energetic performers on stage and we are also seen dancing in this one. Projects like these become a way of reinventing yourself, especially when you have people like Salim and Sulaiman at the helm of it. This song has me singing sargams that I’m really not fluent in, but these guys encouraged me to do it. I would love to work with Sonu again.”
For Nigam, who is seen pulling off some impressive moves in the music video, shooting the track was special. “The last time I shot at a Bhoomi set was in 2022 for the single Ruk Ja. So, returning to the same space after two years felt great. I love working with Salim-Sulaiman, because I enjoy that space. That’s why the kind of work that we’ve been doing, including the Kannada song Mayavi (it has close to 30 million views) from the same album that has received so much love globally, is very divine and genuine,” he ends.
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