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Melody Alert: Yasser Desai
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“I am no Shah Rukh Khan or Akshay Kumar. There has to be a balance between projecting an artiste and acting.”– Yasser Desai
He sang the mellifluous Rang Dariya for Emrran Hashmi in the film Chehre and was appreciated a lot. Meet Yasser Desai whose song ‘Dil Ko Karar Aya’ featured on the late Sidharth Shukla and Neha Sharma has garnered almost 100 million views. His Bollywood debut was Beiimaan Love featured on Sunny Leone and Rajnish Duggal which was a huge hit but he came into the limelight with the song Jitni Dafa for the John Abraham-starrer Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran. His other Bollywood songs have received appreciation and accolade. In an exclusive interview, Yasser Desai talks about his musical journey and more. Read on…
“I am thankful to Anand Pandit sir to have trusted in my vocals and retaining those songs in the albums.”
You started singing since the age of 11. Can you tell us how you got into music and your musical journey?
I have always been fascinated by music. I have grown up listening to Mohd Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Jagjit Singh. I am a huge fan of these legends and tried to sing listening to them. I come from an orthodox family, so my parents were extra concerned about my education. I did my Masters in Biotechnology and worked with a research lab for a few years. Meanwhile, I was also singing demo songs for a few directors. One of the demo songs reached a producer. From there on, it reached a music label. I got my debut chance to become a playback singer. It was a dream come true moment. You can call it my destiny..
Tell us about your Bollywood debut.
My first song was for Beiimaan Love (2016) starring Sunny Leone and Rajneesh Duggal. I had two songs – Mein Adhura, a romantic number with Aakanksha Sharma and Mere Peeche Hindustan with Sukriti Kakar. It happened by destiny.
You came into the limelight with Jitni Dafa from Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran? Can you tell how did it happen?
When I came in contact with a few producers, and music labels, I sang a few songs not knowing the fate of those tracks. Also, I was singing a lot of scratches at that time. Then, Jitni Dafa happened for John Abraham-starrer Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran. Things were going very fast and I didn’t have much time to think. But whatever was happening was for good. After I sang Jitni Dafa, my career took off and since then I didn’t have to look back.
Which are the music directors you love working for and who are on your bucket list? I love working for Tanishk Bagchi. When I was a newcomer, I have spent a lot of time with him. So, I am very fond of him. I like working with Gourov Dasgupta too. My bucket list is quite big. Of course, there’s Pritam da, AR Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, VishalShekhar and Amit Trivedi, Vishal Bhardwaj. I have sung a song for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy but I would love to work with them again. It will be fulfilled in the coming days, I am sure.
“I would love to feature in videos and there’s a lot in the pipeline.”
You worked with Anand Pandit in The Big Bull and now Chehre. Tell us about your association with him and how it was singing for Emraan Hashmi in Chehre.
It’s great that producers put so much trust in singers. I am thankful to Anand Pandit sir to have trusted in my vocals and retaining those songs in the albums. I sung Hawaon Ke Sheher Mein in The Big Bull and Rang Dariya in Chehre. I feel honoured that I can be part of projects produced by Anand Pandit. I have been a huge fan of Emraan Hashmi. It was dream come true to sing for Emraan Hashmi. He has got a strong sense of music. If you sing a song in front of him, he knows what can work and what won’t.
You are handsome. Will you also act in films in future?
I am very influenced by the kind of videos the artistes in West do. The videos are not about acting but more about how an artiste is projected. I am no Shah Rukh Khan or Akshay Kumar. There has to be a balance between projecting an artiste and acting. I would love to feature in videos and there’s a lot in the pipeline.
“The current scenario in Bollywood is that we don’t know when the projects are going to come out and in whose voice. So, this has become a bit unpredictable.”
What about politics in the music industry? Have you faced it?
I think politics is present in every field. It might sound philosophical but it’s in human nature that everybody is looking out for themselves. Wherever people see their benefit they try to soak it. It exists everywhere and not only in the music industry. There are two approaches to handle it. I can keep complaining and do nothing or I can keep working hard and let destiny take over. So, politics is there… I don’t have a musical background, strong connection with the big producers and I don’t come from a reality show. It is difficult but not impossible. If a guy like me who had no connection in Bollywood could make it work, then everybody can.
Lastly, please tell us about your future projects?
There are a lot of projects featuring big names of the industry in the future. The current scenario in Bollywood is that we don’t know when the projects are going to come out and in whose voice. So, this has become a bit unpredictable. But I promise, in the future, you will see me in some of the videos too.
“So, politics is there… I don’t have a musical background, strong connection with the big producers and I don’t come from a reality show. It is difficult but not impossible. If a guy like me who had no connection in Bollywood could make it work, then everybody can.”
