Papon equates singing a Kishore Kumar song with telling a story

Mumbai, Oct 14 (IANS) Singer-composer Papon, who is known for ‘Bulleya’, ‘Jiyein Kyun’, ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’ and others, recently paid a soulful tribute to the Hindi cinema legend, Kishore Kumar where he performed one of Kishore Da’s iconic songs along with Alisha Chinai.

He said that the voice of Kishore Kumar cannot be imitated. He shared that singing a Kishore Kumar song is like telling a story, one has to make it their own and render it with full honesty.

Sharing his admiration for the evergreen artist, Papon said, “Kishore Da was everywhere when I was growing up, in every shop, every street corner, his songs would be playing. He was simply inescapable”.

The tribute ‘Ek Baar Aur Kishore Kumar’ was streamed on SonyLIV.

Talking about what it takes to sing Kishore Kumar’s songs, Papon added, “If you want to sing Kishore Da’s song, you can’t try to imitate him. It’s like a story, you just have to imagine that story and deliver it with honesty”.

He further described the legend as “a once-in-a-lifetime, multi-talented artist whose voice was natural, free, and full of emotion”.

Earlier, Papon celebrated a special milestone as his track ‘Kyun’ from the Anurag Basu directorial ‘Barfi’ completed 13 years of its release. The song picturised on Ranbir Kapoor and Ileana D’Cruz remains one of the most cherished numbers in the film’s award-winning soundtrack.

Reflecting on the journey, Papon earlier sais, “When we recorded ‘Kyun’, we simply wanted to capture a feeling of innocence and wonder. I never imagined it would stay with listeners for over a decade. Even today people tell me it reminds them of first love or carefree days, and that is the biggest reward for an artist”.

He added, “Pritam da’s composition had a beautiful simplicity, and working with him and the entire team of ‘Barfi’ was pure joy. Songs like these prove that music truly lives beyond time”.

Released in 2012, ‘Barfi’ went on to become one of the year’s most celebrated films, earning multiple awards for its music and storytelling. Thirteen years later, Kyun continues to stream across playlists, a testament to its enduring charm.

--IANS

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