'Tere Vaaste' singer Shadab Faridi on OTT's role in changing industry dynamics

Playback singer Shadab Faridi, who is celebrating his birthday on Monday, has shared that the Internet has empowered artistes as musicians don't have to go through the gruelling task of getting a deal with any label, courtesy the audio streaming platforms, and can directly release the song on any of the streaming platforms.

Shadab is currently basking in the success of his chartbuster song, 'Tere Vaaste' from the Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan-starrer 'Zara Hatke Zara Bachke'.

Elaborating on the same, he said: "The music industry has changed tremendously with the availability of independent platforms and OTT for emerging talents. Social media and digital platforms have opened up new opportunities for newcomers."

He continued: "It's necessary to be known and become viral if you're talented. Independent artists are getting more recognition and success through these platforms. I'm glad to see that people who are doing singles and non-film music are booming and have become a brand now through YouTube and social media platforms like Instagram. Even our song 'Tere Vaaste' has reached worldwide through social media platforms and reels. I don't do many singles because I’m working majorly with movies, but I'll be doing more songs in the future. The reason for bringing love to singles increases when the audience supports, loves, and gives the artist a stage to showcase it."

Excited to talk about 'Tere Vaaste', he said: "I'm grateful to all the Hindustani brothers and sisters for expressing so much love towards Tere Vaaste. They've made it a huge hit. 'Tere Vaaste' has become an anthem now. The whole credit goes to the legendary lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya who wrote the amazing lyrics 'Tere Vaaste falak se main Chand launga, sola satra sitare sang bandh launga'. The credit also goes to composers Sachin Jigar and us singers - Altamash Faridi, Varun Jain and I (Shadab Faridi) - who've sung this beautiful song."

Some of his famous songs include 'Tur Kalleyan' from 'Laal Singh Chaddha', 'Deewani Mastani', 'Aayat' and 'Aaj Ibaadat' from 'Bajirao Mastani', 'Sultan Title Track', 'Dil Mera Muft Ka' from 'Agent Vinod', Fevicol Se and 'Dagabaaz Re' from 'Dabangg 2'.

Talking about his birthday plans, he shared: "We celebrated last night and tonight we're going out for dinner. A few family friends will join us and we'll celebrate again."

When asked about the non-film songs and singles, he said: "Independent music has been an integral part of pop culture for decades now. In my opinion, independent artists should keep growing and achieving new heights. As a part of the Bollywood industry, I understand that not everyone gets a chance to be a part of Bollywood music. It's been like this since the beginning - the singers who are popular run the top hitlist songs."

"It has always worked if you notice since last 50 years also - the ones who are top-notch are considered starting from the legendary Rafi Sahab, Kishore Dada, and legendary Mukesh ji. Later in the 90s also if you see top 5-10 singers have worked the most," he added.