Agnee band lead vocalist Mohan Kannan recently uploaded a video called Soundcheck which has since gone viral.
“This just happened, my previous live having got marred due to technical issues I could hardly sing for fifteen minutes while the fans patiently waited for well above 75 minutes. So I decided to make amends by recording Farida Khanum’s Zid Na Karo and one more song for them. Being casual, it was something akin to we what we do at concert soundchecks (before the actual show ) i.e., rehearsing, jamming, or trying out newer stuff. It gives us the freedom to do what we want. The best part of Zid Na Karo is that whoever sings it adds his or her own touch, which is the beauty of Faridaji.”
He adds, “The super response to Soundcheck is making me think along the lines of doing many such impromptu sessions. I am not sure whether I will continue with a cover or come up with originals, I might even toy with something having Carnatic influence, which is my strength.”
Talking about Bollywoodsic mu, Kanan, who has lent his voice to films like Two States, Yariyaan and more recently Panga, says, “I can’t understand this remix craze when you have many talented singers around. I know the business side of re-using old songs, but then it does not add to the creative base. Also, sadly these remixes end up decaying the purity of the originals. But then this situation helps guys like us who prefer original as we stand out in the crowd. I am happy for music directors only call me for songs, suiting my voice. I must thank Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy for giving me my first playback offer. Bollywood music has moved away from lip-syncing to montage. Also today, several films have songs, which though having no connection to the story, extensively played on social media to get people to troop into the theatres. So it does not matter that people walk out when these promotional numbers play with the title credits at the end as their purpose is solved if tickets get sold.”
Looking ahead, he has few non-film songs lined up, “I will be doing a couple or more for Agnee and others on my own.”
Mohan has also sung for the upcoming Aamir Khan film Laal Singh Chaddha.
