In the world of music full of sell-outs, very few people have had the courage to stand differently.
People like Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Richard Ashcroft, Chris Martin, R.E.M, Bono, etc. are some of the names who never chose to compromise with their basic music style. Back home, the most prominent name which comes to mind regarding this category is Lucky Ali.
From his first single ‘O Sanam’ to his latest, he has always put music first. He could have “sold” his talent to Bollywood extensively (instead of fringe songs now & then) like many “singers” out there and there would have been no need for him to produce/ create new albums. But he chose otherwise.
That’s why he was and still remains a pioneer in the Indi-pop genre.
A prime example of his love for music is his album ‘Xsuie’ (2009), which he released over the internet as an independent artist. It was meant only for die-hard fans and not intended towards raking moolah. Right from his first album ‘Sunoh’, he has never compromised on his style of music. ‘Sunoh’ was followed by ‘Sifar’ which had the much-acclaimed songs in ‘Dekha hai aise bhi’ & ‘Nahin rakhta dil mein kuch’.
‘Aks’ and ‘Kabhi Aisa Lagta Hai’ followed ‘Sifar’ which were reasonable successes. By this time, Lucky Ali had become a big name in music and started to get regular offers in movies. He could have leveraged it like many of his Indi-pop compatriots like Sonu Nigam, Mohit Chauhan, etc. did.
But he chose oblivion instead and returned with ‘Xsuie’ after 5 years in 2009. In his own words, ” The music scene is a sell-out business. Its only disillusionment”.
He defines his music as something which describes a ‘goal-less yet soulful journey’. And that reflects in his songs. Songs such as ‘dekha hai aise bhi’ , ‘O Sanam’, ‘Tere Mere Saath’ and the latest from Xsuie, ‘Dil Gaye Ja’ are regarded as cult songs.
On a lighter note, his songs are great during travel. Nothing like listening to his music during road trips or hitchhiking.
He describes his life as ‘wanderlust’. And it has taken him many places. He has bred horses, been an oil rigger off the coast of Pondicherry in South India.
Nowadays, he owns an organic farm.
Never in a mood to compromise, he has never indulged in aggressive promotional techniques for his albums. He works on the premise that if someone likes his music, he’ll notice & buy it else not.
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Perhaps his crazy obsession with music’s quality is a reason why he has a dedicated fan base that likes his genre of songs. Pure.
Saluting one of the few souls who treat music with respect.
