Singer Sonu Nigam recently posted a vlog talking about the atrocities in the Indian music industry. This was in relation to the uproar in Bollywood surrounding the untimely death by suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. He said that there are lobbies and gangs in the music industry as well, and that it is possible that we hear of such cases amongst to singers and musicians too.
Shooting a vlog very morbidly captioned, ‘You might soon hear about suicides in the music industry‘, he says that the music industry is controlled by companies, without taking names, who “have the power to make someone sing or not sing“.
Have a look at his vlog:
He adds:
Sushant Singh Rajput died, an actor died. Tomorrow, you can hear the same about a singer, or a composer, or a lyrics writer. Because the music scenario in our country… there are bigger ‘mafias’ here that in the film industry, unfortunately
He addresses these “music mafias” in his vlog and asks them to be kind and considerate towards the newcomers and says, “Don’t do this! This is not right…You will be questioned.” Sonu started play-back singing in Bollywood in the 90’s.
Speaking about how difficult it is for the newcomers, he says:
It’s very difficult for the new kids, very difficult… I speak to every one of them. They are troubled that the producer wants to work with them, the director wants to work, even the music composer wants to work with them but the music company will say: ‘This is not our artiste”. I was lucky that I joined (the industry) at a young age, I escaped the clutches. I got out of it. I don’t have any wish to sing for the last 15 years. It’s ok. I am happy in my own world. But I have seen the frustration in the eyes, in the voice, in the words of new singers, new composers, new lyrics writers… tears of blood, sometimes.
He ends the video by saying that he hopes more people don’t die by suicide.