Yourstory Exclusive with Kailash Kher

Friday July 10, 2009,

3 min Read

Renowned singer/composer Kailash Kher shares his life journey during a recent interview with Yourstory


Music, they say is a progression of feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later. One of the few singers’ of our time who very aptly captures the mood and feelings,

Kailash Kher has come a long way in his life. He possesses one of the most beautiful and purest sounds in all music; an exquisite synthesis of air and earth, projected with the fluidity of water, and the intensity of fire. He surpasses all other vocalists and composers as far as the expression through melodies and mixing genres is concerned. But for Kailash the journey to stardom was not easy. He shares with Yourstory the ups and downs of the journey so far.


Born in Merut, Kailash grew up listening to folk songs his father sang until he started learning Hindustani at an early age of twelve after being inspired my the sufi maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Today, he definitely is one of the more renowned and respected composer/singer in the music industry. Ask him about the process of composing music and he adds, “Whenever I compose a song, I ask myself whether I would listen to it, had someone else composed it. If the answer is yes, I go ahead with it.” His creations need no mention and the latest feather that’s added on is his latest album: Chaandan Mein. He adds, “The feel of album is very earthy and the lyrics go back to ancient India. They are in Dev Nagri.”


Kailash left his home in Merut at a tender age of thirteen, only to study music in Delhi. He recalls with nostalgia, “Those were tough times in my life. They taught me how to live life. I had promised my parents that I wouldn’t do anything wrong. Life taught me its lesson then. But the struggles also made me the person I am. I believe in myself and I have seen the worse. I am not scared of life. Also, I know that success and failures are temporary. I tried venturing out into a business in Delhi, and almost went bankrupt. Playback singing happened because I moved to Mumbai after that incident.”


Not many would know, he didn’t have a normal childhood in terms of education. He says, “I have always studied through correspondence, be it in school or college. I don’t have any school/ college friends. I have never gone on treks or trips. But I never repent doing all this because I am destined to be different!”


Hailing from a middle class family, Kailash intends on letting his success not affect him or his work. Kailash tries to live in the present moment and that’s reflected in the way he handles his life. He says, “That’s all a human being has! The present. And it’s upon us to live it the way we want to.”


Kailash, an Urdu language graduate loves to pick up different languages and dreams of releasing at least one album in all Indian languages. He says, “ I love analyzing different cultures and languages. I guess, it also reflects in the lyrics of my song. But there’s one more thing I love to do and that’s sleeping. I can sleep for hours, anywhere, anytime.”


Before bidding a goodbye, he lends a word of advice to all the young entrepreneurs –“One should never lose hope, be true to the self and work really hard.”

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