Kolkata, April 6: Usha Uthup has continued singing unlike many of her contemporaries who have long stopped as they felt out of sync with the new age style, and the singer says she does not believe in living in the past.
Starting her musical journey in Chennai in a small night club back in 1967, Indian pop icon Usha is still going strong, recording new songs, new remixes and participating in live shows.
“I don’t like to live in the past. Nostalgia is fine. The concept was different those days and you have to make time your best friend as you move on,” the singer said.
She was speaking after judging a Bengali reality show “Phire Asar Gaan” in the city accompanied by two other judges Bappi Lahiri and Amit Kumar.
“The 70s and the 80s were a different time and there was so much fun in a live performance,” Usha, who started her career as a member of the famed Sami sisters, said recalling her association with Bappi da.
“There has been so much change in attitude and in technology since then that you have to make efforts to stay alive (all the time),” the 68-year-old singer, who has sung in 13 Indian and eight foreign languages, said.
Asked to trace her journey from Chennai’s “Nine Gems” to Kolkata’s ‘Trincas’ on Park Street, Usha was candid as she said, “I don’t typically believe I have a hard luck story, though I was only one of a kind starting off in a night club. Everybody struggles in his/her own way.”
Responding to a question on the new trend of remixes, including that of her own songs like ‘Ramba Ho Ho’ rendered by DJs and new age singers, Usha said, “I love remix. I am not saying all remixes are good. But all remixes are not bad as well.”
About reality show aspirants, Usha said, “While they have got a platform, there is a downside too. These youngsters have to struggle with each other. And there is so much of competition. But whenever I am called to reality shows I hate being tagged a judge.”
