An Interview with A Rising Star: Indian Idol 4 Star - Rajdeep Chatterjee

Rajdeep Chatterjee 

      .....And I am back!

In the recent months, life has thrown many curve balls at my disposal in my personal life and at that moment, my priority was nothing more than my own family and personal life (as well as care for my own personal being). I have had to take a leave of absence this semester to remain at home. However, being a fan of challenges and fighting them through (thanks to the amazing support system I have and am grateful for), I am now back with a bang to continue to do what I do best - write, analyze, and critique cultural trends. I want to extend my thanks to both Samita Nandy, founder of Centre of  Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS) for introducing us and Indian Idol 4 star and Bollywood Playback Singer Rajdeep Chatterjee for taking his time to answer my questions!

Teen Singing Sensation Rajdeep Chatterjee, 23, has been making waves in the Indian music industry winning the hearts of musical maestros like A.R. Rahman, Anu Mallick, Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher, Sonali Bendre, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. Mallick even declared him as the best singer of the season while the Symbiosis Group referred to him as the Jharkand Icon. He has performed with fellow music celebrities including Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Shreya Ghosal, Shankar Ehsan Loy, Himesh Reshamiya, Mika Singh, and Abhijit Bhattacharya. The judges have referred to him fondly as Mr. Smiley of course for his infectious smile and mature voice. An alumnus of Loyola School, Chatterjee has performed in 450 shows as a professional singer all over the world including in countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Africa, and the Commonwealth Games. Furthermore, he is also the winner of reality show singing competition Fankaar and a finalist in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil' Champs.

I caught up with him after his return to Bombay after his recent performance at the Bollywood Monster Mashup in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada this summer!

Rajdeep Performing at the Bollywood Monster Mashup in Mississauga, Canada 

Nidhi Shrivastava: Thank you for taking the time for the interview. It is an honour. Did you always want to be a singer?

Rajdeep Chatterjee: Yes, music was always in my blood. My parents are musicians themselves (not professional) but they have learnt. So yes, I have been surrounded with music.

NS: What were your first impressions of India's music industry?

RC: The music industry is a dream for all musicians/singers. In this era of intense competition,its actually difficult to say who is good and who is not ,but honestly,I feel there should be more unity and appreciation than politics and negativity in this industry. The rest is all good

NS: How was the experience in the Indian Idol 4 especially working with India's music industry giants such as Javed Akhtar, Anu Malick, and Kailash Kher?

RC: Indian Idol was the turning point in my life. I had done a couple of reality shows before but as a kid .Indian Idol brought about a lot of change in my life.It taught me how to perform,how to face the audience,how to accept defeats as well. It's because of the show that I got the popularity and got opportunities to sing for Bodyguard, Khiladi 786,and Gunday as well it helped get my real self out.

NS: How was your experience singing for the films Bodyguard and Khiladi 786? 

RC: Bodyguard and Khiladi 786 experience was amazing. It was a treat working with Himesh ji (reshammiya).He is a gem of a person and an extremely talented music director. It was a blessing to work with him.

NS: What are the challenges that you have faced while being a part of India's music industry as a newcomer?

RC: We all face challenges everyday so I won't say that there was a particular time when I had to face challenges or problems. But I believe,music comes from your soul and not everybody can be a musician. You need to have that connection with GOD and that emotion within you. So I always sing from my heart. For me, my stage is a Temple,and music is the Idol that I worship.

NS: I have read that you had earlier sung for the Telegu and Tamil films as a playback singer, tell us more about your experience in these industries? 

RC: Yes,I had sung for a Tamil film long back after Idol. It was recorded in Ar Rahman sir's studio in Chennai.The experience was fabulous. I couldn't have asked for more.I have also tried singing in Marathi and Bengali languages.

NS: In the more recent times, singers also have to be excellent performers and have to be better "groomed" than the singers of the yesteryears? How has your experience being regarding the performance element of your singing career? 

RC: Yes ,its ABSOLUTELY right.Singers have to be performers.By performer, I mean,an entertainer who value the time that the audience has spent in coming down all the way to see his or her act. They should get the value for time and money that they have spent. It is our responsibility as artists to see to it that our audience enjoys and has a great time when they are with us. For that an artists needs to be versatile, charming, interesting along with his musical skills. The competition is fierce now.we have so many singers, but I wish our country discovers more performers as well!
NS: Who are your favorite singers? your idols? 

RC: My favorite singers have been Manna Dey, Mohammad Rafi sahib and Kishore Kumar. In the newer Generations ,we have Sonu (Nigam) ji who is amazing .I love his feel.

I hope you all enjoyed the interview with Rajdeep! Here is a clip of him performing for the Bollywood Monster Mashup this year in Mississauga, Ontario!