While we appreciate the score of songs, we almost often forget that what adds greater meaning to them are the words that provide structure too. With a dozen hits already under his belt, lyricist Raj Shekhar is keeping busy with multiple projects that are lined up, the latest being the Kareena Kapoor, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon-starrer, Crew. Although tight-lipped on upcoming releases, Raj joins us for a chat about his song writing process, some essential skills that songwriters must possess and how his song Pehli Bhi Main, from Animal, became a hit among the crowd. Excerpts:
You are working on song in the upcoming film, Crew. Tell us more about the same.
This is my second collaboration with producer Rhea Kapoor. Earlier, we had collaborated on Veere Di Wedding, for the song, Aa Jao Na. This time around, the music producer is Vishal Mishra, with whom I collaborated for Pehli Bhi Main from Animal. The song is trending even now, ranking high in the charts. The song I have worked on for Crew falls under a different genre than what I have done before. I want to keep the surprise intact for audiences, but this genre was a bit challenging for me to work on. Let’s hope that people like it.
Your songs from Animal became a hit after their release. How was the experience of working on the same?
The songs from the film, Pehli Bhi Main and Marham are trending on the charts even now. I am very grateful to the audience and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga for the love they’ve shown for this song. It is, indeed a beautiful feeling when your words resonate with lakhs of people. Pehli Bhi Main was written in just two bars – first in the first stanza and the second in the third stanza. The song was completed in just two sittings. The trust among Sandeep, and music director Vishal Mishra, and me was high, hence all the words that you hear are directly penned by me, with no interference from them. That trust among us is probably why the song did as well as it did.
How do you approach your songwriting process?
I think that a song should contribute something to a film. Be it a story, a situation, an insight into a character, the pacing of the screenplay or anything else. My process involves identifying why that song is important and then working on it. Sometimes it’s also about giving the character a channel to express emotions, something that’s not come through from the dialogues. Songs also help pause, slow down, or fasten the pace of the screenplay, hence I also tend to focus on the requirements of the screenplay. If the song is about a character, then I try to remain as close as possible to their language and situations.
What are some essential skills a lyricist must have?
The first thing one should have is a poetic bent of mind. One should have poetry in them if they’re to become a lyricist. However, that is not enough since being a poet and lyricist are two different things. How adaptable you are to the situation also decides how good of a songwriter you are. Sometimes when you write poetry, you write it in free verse, that is, it doesn’t have a definitive structure. So it is also important to know what the structure of the song will be. Lastly, it is also very important for a songwriter to employ empathy for the character and the situations they are in.
Crew releases in theatres on March 29.
