Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Whenever I have asked something from God and worked hard for it, I have always got it, be it my Indian citizenship or my weight loss.
The response that I have got over the years is the best example that the people of India love me, and I feel as much Indian as anybody.
When my first album came out, it wasn't Bollywood. The love that I received from people was everything, and it still is everything for me.
I have been working and composing music since 1986. Over the years, I have seen our music industry go through all kinds of transformation.
I was 230 kg, with a size 81 waist. I couldn't buy anything off the shelf and needed more than one tailor to measure and stitch my clothes.
I have gone to many beautiful places across the globe, but I must say that the northeast of our country is the best-kept secret in the world.
My roots are in classical music and jazz, and I want the freedom of being able to improvise. This freedom is possible only in a live concert.
Every human being is unique and reacts differently to different food items. A diet that works for you may not necessarily work for your friend.
I had to make lifestyle changes and stick to them for the rest of my life. For instance, I've had to give up bread, rice, sugar, and oil completely.
Being a public figure, you cannot make everyone happy. Some people will criticise your actions, and I cannot stop expressing my opinion based on that.
While my mother is from Jammu, my father was originally from Afghanistan, as my grandfather was the governor of five provinces there, including Herat.
I want to be able to touch people's heart through my music. I want to bring a smile on every face. In my own humble, small way, I want to touch lives.
Mumbai is home to us. Medina was born in Munich because Roya's family lives in Germany and she had five sisters to help her while I was travelling for work.
I suppose I am more comfortable with jazz because I have been playing it that much longer, and also because classical music is a much more disciplined genre.
I had my own ups and downs in getting Indian citizenship. But, ultimately I got it and I am happy about it. I like India. My love is here. I am a proud Indian.
I started playing music when I was about six and didn't discover Indian classical music until I was fifteen. So, essentially, I had a lot of catching up to do.
For me, everybody is the same. If you are not nice to me, I will say, 'Okay, we will try to make it nice tomorrow.' I am like that. I am not a confrontational person.
My love for my wife Roya is so intense that I gave up alcohol. My love for my father was so great that when he made me promise him that I'd lose weight, I did and lost 167 kg.!
I am a singer. You love me or hate me based on my music. If you are judging me based on my nationality and religion, you are a racist. This is very offensive. I cannot encourage that.
My father was a diplomat and served as Pakistan's ambassador to 14 countries. I was born in London and grew up there and studied and lived in a hostel throughout in London and became a barrister.
I come from a very affluent family. I have been educated in one of the finest institutions of the world. Money was never a factor in my life: by the grace of God, I was blessed with a golden spoon.
My weight is this permanent topic that just doesn't fade away. Most days, I am fine with people talking about it. That doesn't bother me as much as how people use the fact to promote their own ventures.
Music does not have colour or religion. If I listen to a song, I don't care about the colour, religion, or country of the singer. It doesn't matter, even if it is in another language, because I love the music.
I have always maintained that it's not the quantity of work, but the quality that should speak. I have maintained the same for my music albums, too. I have always released them after a gap of two to three years.
Music, in its true essence, has got no language. You don't listen to anybody because he is black or white or because he belongs to a particular geographical region. You listen to him because you like what he does.
I used to play rugby, polo, tennis, and cricket in school. It was only in the 1990s, when I used to live just opposite Harrods in London, that I started putting on weight. I used to have my breakfast there every day.
People all over the world know me as an Indian artist. I could have chosen any other country and wouldn't have had to go through problems claiming my citizenship. But it is India where my heart is and has always been.
Every person goes through a bad phase. Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan, too, had a rough phase in their careers. In my case, it was unfortunate that my personal problems came up at a time when I took a break to rejuvenate myself.
I am glad that my weight never affected my singing career, but other than this, I faced a lot problems: like, I was unable to talk for 20 minutes after coming down from the stage after my shows. I got very tired because of my fatness.
I do not think classical music faces any threat because new music is being made through computer, as the real charm of classical is its purity, and one who is seeking purity will surely find classical music in spite of so many alternatives.
Pakistan never valued Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saab until English songwriter Peter Gabriel started collaborating with him. After that, the country suddenly realised that they have an amazing talent. This is the story of a lot of artistes there.
I genuinely believe that, physically and emotionally, women are far stronger than men. The amount of pain they have to endure for a childbirth, a man cannot take an ounce of it. A toothache or a stomach upset is the end of our world at times.
Though music was not in my blood, I always considered myself belonging to music, and that remained with me throughout my studies. The studies were my parents' wish, which I fully complied with, as one must be educated at the highest possible level.
I can understand when people say that they're not a big fan of my music. That's an individual opinion, and I respect that. But you don't have the right to comment on my choice of citizenship, my skin colour, or my religion. It's not open to discussion.
Northeastern folk music influenced me from a very young age. Sachin Dev Burman is one of the inspirational musicians in Indian film music. The way he fused folk music with his signature style is amazing. So, I am aware of the beauty of northeast folk music.
My father was a great admirer of music and the arts, so there was always a lot of culture in the house. As it happened, while my father was the ambassador in Portugal, the ambassador's residence had a piano, and so I started learning how to play it at the age of five.
I remember my father playing a cassette for me when I was fifteen - Amjad Ali's 'Durga.' He said, 'This is from our part of the world. You must listen to it.' And I continued rewinding it and listening to it from early evening until midnight. By the end of it, I was nearly in tears.
The way the Pak government treated me is only testimony to the ill treatment meted out to artistes. There was outrage against me. People were amazed that I had applied for citizenship in India. I don't give a damn about getting trolled. I have earned immense respect and love in India.
My father was a great connoisseur of music and arts. He said, 'I will encourage you in anything you do, but make sure you get a solid education.' So, I studied in the finest schools and went on to become a qualified barrister but didn't take up law because my music was my area of interest.
Recording a Hindi song takes me around 40 minutes whereas a Kannada song takes me about two hours. The music isn't a problem, since the notes used are universal. The language is the problem. I try my best to get it right, as I'm sensitive about respecting every language, since all of them are sacred in my heart.
When Indians have loved and embraced Pakistani artistes, why can't the latter come out in their support when injustice has been meted out to the people? No one wants these artistes to wage a war against their government. People didn't demand that they condemn their own country. They just expected them to say something for the sake of humanity.