‘I put all my focus and energy into singing’

SAN JOSE: Benny Dayal was in San Francisco Bay area to perform his debut solo concert. He spoke to India Post about his singing career and the secret of his success:

In a short period of a few years, your name is associated with so many hit songs. How did you start your journey in Bollywood?

Benny Dayal: Bollywood just happened. I started my journey in Tamil songs. I started experimenting in Hindi as my language was very good. This helped me get more and more Hindi songs as one usually doesn’t find singers with strong Hindi language in south India. I was looking to expand my horizons and was lucky to get an opportunity with A.R. Rehman.

You left corporate job to be a singer? Was it an easy decision?
BD: As I started my singing, my songs started becoming famous and my career took off. I was in fact in a company where I was media shy. This helped me to leave them and start focusing on singing. It was a smooth transition. Rehman sir supported and encouraged me during this phase.

All of your songs are super hit. How do you choose a song?
BD: Most of the time I don’t have a choice of songs I sing. I put all my focus and energy in making the songs successful.

There are many youngsters who aspire to make it big in music world. What is one key quality they need to develop to gain success?

BD: They should be extremely passionate and have an open mind to learn new things. Without an open mind, they will not be successful in any new field.

Who is your favorite singer?

BD: My favorite is Kishore Kumar

Which is your favorite song?

BD: It is “Kaise tum mujhe mil gayi” from movie Gajni

You have sung in so many languages. How do you prepare?

BD: I just pay attention to the sounds and singing comes easily. I don’t need to learn the language for that.

What is secret of your success?

BD: I don’t really have a secret. It is by god’s grace. I just work hard and don’t speak a lot about the success. I just focus on my singing. Energy I put in the songs is what makes my songs famous.

Ritu Maheshwari
India Post News Service