Using technology to enhance the quality or effect of a song is good, but manipulating an entire rendition and reworking it digitally can only produce short-lived work. Because of the improved software today, even inexperienced people can compose music and make it worthy. Technology has created many singers and composers, but digitisation can enhance your singing, not your skill.

Absolutely! Performing arts are always connected. You have to be an actor to be a good singer. When I sing a song, the actor in me comes out as I emote for the track. Actors also have a singer in them. Unless they have an idea of rhythm and sur,how will they dance to a song?

I had tonsillitis since childhood. My doctor suggested not to get it operated as my tonal quality would change. So, I had to live with tonsillitis attacks. The good thing was that the more I would sing, meri awaz utni hi khulti thi. Some artistes get tired after singing a couple of songs, but my voice used to blossom.

When I had to record Ek Do Teen [Tezaab, 1988], I could barely talk. The song required strong throw, and we didn't have technical help those days. Mehboob Studio was filled with musicians that day — there was a 45-member chorus and around 100 instrumentalists. I told Laxmiji [of Laxmikant-Pyarelal] that I was not in a state to sing. He said, “Aap socho hi mat uske baare mein, aur bas gaao.” Though we had to finish recording before 12 am, we hadn't had a single take till 11.30 pm because balancing all the instruments was taking long. Finally, when it was all set up, Laxmiji said, “Alkaji, sing a rough version today. We will dub your voice again.” I belted out the number in one go. But that dubbing never happened. He was so happy with the song that he said, “Agar aapko lagta hai is gaane mein aapka gala kharab hai, to aap mera har gaana kharab gale se gaao.”

Music cannot be taught. Either you are a singer or you're not. I always guide singers who need help. Over the years, I've done so many reality shows, and the participants often send me their works or come over to my home for suggestions.

I struggled with myself to get better. I sang from my heart. I was self-analytical, self critical… Even if today a song of mine is playing on radio, and I find something wrong with it, I ask the driver to switch the station.

Politics exists in every line of work. A lot of songs were taken away from me. One of my contemporaries played very dirty politics with me.  Like I’d rehearse a song only to know that a senior singer had eventually sung it, I’d say koi baat nahin. I didn’t bother who was doing what, saying what… I was a homebody and only too happy to return home after work.

The audience euphoria, energy… charges you, then it’s just my song, my audience and myself. I’m shy but I become a different person on stage. Surprisingly, the audience demands the songs I sang in the ’80s and ’90s,” she points out.

Basically, I’m a loner. It’s not difficult to be with myself. I hear music, read and watch films. I like spending time with my daughter Sayesha who’s launched her restaurant - Boveda Bistro – in Andheri. My husband flies down to spend time with us sometimes. Kaam bhi karti hoon, zindagi bhi jee rahin hoon. I never did the wild things as a teenager. Movies, parties... Maybe, I love to do the wild things now.

When girls played with dolls, I’d be stuck to the radio. I’d imitate Lata didi. I’ve learnt by just listening to her. She’s my guru. Didi is in me. Raina beeti jaaye (Parichay), Ajeeb dastan hai (Dil Apna Preet Parai) were my favourites. I met Didi for the first at Film Centre in Mumbai. She was recording Main tujhse milne aayee from Heera for Kalyanji-Anandji. I just gaped at her speechless.She blessed me and said, ‘Padhai mat chodna!’ Though a bright student, I hated studies. But I went on to complete my studies.

You know I’m quite laid-back. I always dreamt of getting married, having children, living in a nice little house and being a homemaker. Singing just came along. Even when mere angne mein became a hit, I didn’t see stars. Only after Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Tezaab, did I become serious about a career. So there’s a definite lack of drive. I have done albums like soulful compositions by Nida Fazli. I’m open to trying creative experiments like fusion or jamming with a band or something. But this can only happen if someone approaches me. Kavita’s marriage to the legend L Subramaniam has helped. She got exposed to a different genre and a different audience.

I will have to say L-P. They are such an institution to learn from. Each antara completely different in the long songs. We’d have a day of rehearsals, followed by live recordings with HUGE ensemble orchestras. When I began I’d sing softly and Laxmiji would shout at me to throw my voice. That cultivated what recordists now call a powerful voice. In fact I’m made to step back from the mike while singing.

I am a great fan of Lataji and Kishore Kumar since I was five. I’d sit next to my mother, a trained classical singer and sing along. But it wasn’t classical music but Lataji’s songs which influenced me even as a child in Kolkata. I like Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan, Sonu Nigam and several other voices. Each of them has their unique strength. But they’ve been around for long. I like some new voices but don’t even know their names.

Why do you think? Tell me where are the songs, composers, song-situations and even films which inspire one’s best. I don’t want to be part of the noise. I’ve always sung melodious numbers etched in people’s minds for years. When all one can hear is noise, repeated words and a beat; its tough to make sense of compositions masquerading as songs.

It is always great to work with AR Rahman. I’ve sung for him in Taal, Lagaan, Zubeidaa, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Swades, Yuvvraaj, Ada... A Way of Life and Slumdog Millionaire in the past. This track from The Hundred Foot Journey is a sweet number. Rahman’s extreme humility, simplicity and purity of heart, inspite of being a world-famous makes it delightful to work with him. As for the ‘international’ label, I know a lot is being made of the fact that this is an Indo-French film.  It is amazing how labels can get attention in India. I don’t think like that.

I miss the live  recordings we used to do in those days. The entire song would be recorded in one go, at one place. The grandeur of those live recordings was something else, unlike today where you record the song in bits and pieces. It's like taking the bits and pieces from everywhere and putting them together. There is no regular flow now.

The current phase is a different one. Among the positive changes, technologically, we have advanced but being technologically sound is not good enough. I feel as though we have progressed so much, but at the same time we have compromised the soul of music. There are many good music composers but songs with an evergreen quality are hardly made now. There are also many new singers and it would be unfair to point out who is good among them all, but it remains to be seen which singer will last long here. Singers don't have a big shelf life now.

No, not at all. I think I am already an actor, because when I am asked to record a song, I’m expected to imagine the situation the song is made for and sing accordingly.

Not really. My mother is a trained classical singer. I used watch her doing riyaaz with her tanpura. I would sit next to her and sing along. She was my main guru. But it wasn’t classical music but Lataji’s film songs which influenced me. I was an ardent fan of hers from a very young age. I wanted to sing like her. I used to carefully listen to her songs and hum them. That’s when my mother spotted my aptitude for singing.

There was a time when I did a lot of work with Laxmikant-Pyarelal. They’re the ones who groomed me. Then Nadeem-Shravan and I had many successful songs to our credit. If they’re back on the scene, all the better. I always shared a good rapport with them. Right now, I share productive working relationships with Anu Malik and Jatin-Lalit. Anu gives me a lot of songs which are tailormade for my voice. He has managed to get the best tonal quality from my voice. Apart from Refugee, we did good work together in Josh. Hai mera dil is one of my favourites. The new music composers like Sanjeev-Darshan, Sajid-Wajid, Himesh Reshamiyya and Ismail Darbar are doing good work. It’s still premature to say whether they have staying power. But they have the enthusiasm.

Reality shows, just like any other program comes with a positive and a negative side. It is positive because, lot of talent from unknown areas and rural regions find a platform to perform and be under the national media scanner. It is negative because there are so many, every day different artists are churned out from all regions, and not all of them can co-exist in equal capacity. They are unable to sustain, they are short lived, fade, become frustrated and then disappear.

According to me, remixes or remakes can never match the purity of the original songs. Meri baat chor dijiye. Lata didi ke gaane hain, unko bhi remake kiya hai, unme bhi woh baat nai hai (Forget about my songs. Lata Mangeshkar’s songs are also being remade, and they can in no way match up to their original versions).... If you remake a melodious song into a dance number and then play it in a lounge, you’ve destroyed the original, and that’s not correct.

I am fond of good clothes and accessories, and I like to dress up. Earlier, for almost 15 years, my life was limited to home and studio. I would record five songs daily, and do stage shows occasionally. Later, when I started getting a little more time for myself, main apne shauk poore karne lagi.

That’s not true at all. But if that’s the reputation I have, what’s wrong with it? My mother was very ambitious on my behalf. I always dreamt of getting married, having children, living in a nice little house and being a housewife. Singing just came naturally. Even when Mere angne mein became a hit, I didn’t see stars. But after Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Tezaab, I began to enjoy my success. That’s when I became very serious about my career. I wanted to make it big. Today I’ve reached the same level where Lataji began to make a mark many years ago.

No. They are a part of my growth as a singer. One goes through phases in life. Since those songs came my way, I gave them my best shot. But I knew that wasn’t the real me. I bided my time. With Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak I proved that soft, romantic numbers suited me the more. Ek do teen happened around the same time. My versatility was established.

That’s an honour and was  a very big responsibility. Because expectations were also high. So I can’t treated  any of my songs casually. Comparisons with Lataji are foolish. None of us today have her calibre. But yes, I have created a niche for myself. Any new singer who comes in was automatically weighed against Lataji’s talents. Now this  happened to me as well. The other day I read that Sunidhi Chauhan is about to give Alka Yagnik a run for her money. I laughed, just as Lataji must have done when we were compared with her. More than funny, it’s pathetic. I think comparing newcomers with established artistes shows a lack of a sense of proportion. How ignorant can they be? If they knew anything about music, they wouldn’t be saying such things.

Javed Akhtar saab is a stickler with pronunciation and takes great pains to explain the stress and enunciation of every syllable. Its so reassuring to find him there at recordings.

I also received offers to act in movies  but my major focus was on singing because that moment i know i am better in what. But everything now is changing, so the music industry, and is giving preference to the techno voice instead of originals.

My first love will always be singing, not just playback singing, but live shows where i can interact with the audience. But honestly speaking, after so many years singing 'Jiya bekarar hai, humko tumse pyaar hain' type songs, judging reality shows is really a welcome break.

There are so many of them. As long as the heroine does justice to my songs on-screen , its all right. Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla were very good. I also loved singing for Aishwarya rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Karishma Kapoor and Rani Mukherji.

Now there are too many new talents because of the reality shows and media exposure and hence the work in the industry is distributed too. But stardom is  short-lived now-a-days as there is no sustenance value. Everyday a new voice is coming and before he/she gets chance to establish himself/herself, another voice replaces the singer.