'Baby doll' singer to get 'classical'

After getting recognised for her hit peppy numbers like "Baby doll", "Lovely" and "Chittiyaan kalaiyaan", singer Kanika Kapoor says she will now sing more of classical Indian numbers this year to popularise the genre in the Hindi film industry.

"I will bring the classical music back very soon...This year people will listen more of it from me. I have my Youtube channel coming up which will demonstrate some classical tracks which I'm creating," Kanika told IANS.

The 33-year-old, who was here to shoot the music video of localised version of internationally known DJ Alesso's single "Heroes (We Could Be)", also said that the music trends are driven by the listeners.

Stressing on the fact that Indian classical is her "personal favourite", she said: "It doesn't mean that people should like it too. They have their own personal choice -- some like classical, others like Sufi - it all depends on listeners' choice.

"People who like classical don't like the commercial tracks. Much of the Indian listeners are not aware of the classical songs and they feel happy being restricted to peppy ones. Music makes one happy, it destresses the mind. So, a typical genre doesn't matter...it should be dependent on the listener and what he wants to listen."

Kapoor also said the Indian music market has widened the scope for young singers to showcase their talent.

"Indian music industry has opened up to new singers. It has widened a lot. Earlier, there were only Lataji (Lata Mangeshkar), Ashaji (Asha Bhosle) and Alka Yagnikji, but now listeners look forward to listen to new singers," she added.

However, she feels that the dominance of film music has made it tough for singers to come out with their own singles.

Recently, Kapoor received a positive response for her singles "Chhil Gaye Naina" and "Desi Look", and soon she will be seen cheering up for the Indian cricket team, who are currently vying the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia, with her Hindi version of the song "Heroes (We Could Be)", to be released by Universal Music India.

Talking about the track, she added: "It's a fun version of the song that we have made for our cricket team. It will give moral support and strength to them. I hope that India retains the World Cup."