I want to experiment with so many genres: Benny Dayal

He has crooned hit numbers in several languages including Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi or Hindi. Benny Dayal is not only eager to work more in regional entertainment space but the singer-actor wants to experiment with different genres as well. He says he is not going to force anything and rather "let the music happen".

"I want to experiment with so many genres and it just comes to you unknowingly. I'm not going to force anything and rather let the music happen. Someone great once said: 'Never stand in the way of the music, music will come to you on its own if you make way for it'," Benny, who has also tried his hand in acting, told IANS in an email interview.

When Benny, who is a part of the third season of Fox Life's flagship music series "Sound Trek", was asked about differences between the singing or working style in different industries, he said he "cannot answer because I am not that experienced".

He added: "I have so much more to learn; maybe in another 10 years I'd be eligible to answer this question."

"Sound Trek" gives a sneak peak into the music from the 1970s, giving a modern twist to iconic songs. And the multi-lingual playback singer says he "is absolutely honoured to re-create a 1970s song of choice and also be a part of the video".

Talking about his role in the music series, he said: "Predominantly my role in this project was to rewrite the song and sing it and Dub Sharma, my brother and friend, to work on the sound production and its design. When I was composing the song, my only thought was to not make it a film song again but to make it a song alone that has nothing to do with a movie and also make the lyrics more heard like a story. We kept the melody exactly the same and I re-wrote the song on my ukelele."

Benny shares that late legendary singer-actor Kishore Kumar has been a source of inspiration in his life.

He said: "Kishore Kumar has been my inspiration since childhood. He's an absolute story teller more than a singer. Hence, 'O mere dil ke chain' was our choice because I could already hear the song in the form I wanted it to be created in my ears. Then I picked up my ukelele and immediately created a version and Dub Sharma came up with the production ideas."

Looking back at the music scene from the 1970s to the present, Benny asserted that the music of the era still has a place in the hearts of the music lovers.

"Music from the 1970s era has been loved and cherished by our audience over many years. Hence, I had to maintain its lyrical importance more than the music," said Benny, who has lent his musical touch to films like "Thalaivaa", "Delhi-6", "Ladies vs Ricky Bahl", "Cocktail", "2 States", "Hasee Toh Phasee" and "Bang Bang!".

Benny has also made his acting debut in the 2005 Malayalam movie "By The People", and without revealing much about his work slate, the artist said: "But I must say that 2016 is going to be super interesting for me as far as work and music is concerned."

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)

--IANS

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