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[nahia]

Having sung some of the most popular Hindi film songs in the past few years, KK's as Bollywood as it gets.

But this singer is a Delhi guy, and a great fan of this city. From " Chhod Aaye Hum" (" Maachis") and " Tadap Tadap Ke" (" Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam") to "Khuda Jaane" (" Bachna Ae Haseeno"), his musical journey has been pretty diverse.

"There is a constant revolution happening, people look at things done in the past and try to better them," says KK, as he proceeds to talk about the influences of different kinds of music in B-wood. "A lot of world music has come into Bollywood. I don't see a song like " Alvida" working, like, a few years ago. At that time, people would've said, 'Arre yaar, yeh toh bahut ooncha hai, bahut cheekhna ho raha hai'. In fact, a song that I did for "Paanch" – "Main Khuda" – was a precursor to the rock influence in Bollywood music, but I think perhaps it was a bit too early."

According to the singer, it was around the year 2000 that changes had started trickling down to Bollywood music. "A lot of pop and rock elements came in. Folk has always been the mainstay of Indian music; we're very soulful people, and we like the sound of our soil. And it's only now that people are looking for Western – for want of a better word – influences which help with sound production. But one has to tread that path very carefully; one should never overproduce a song – it's like overbaking a cake. I believe that you should make music that appeals to you first – if it doesn't, how are you going to sell it to others?"

What does he think makes Delhi musicians different? "In Mumbai, things are mostly Bollywood-linked and are more filmi. In Delhi, you have an alternative scene – the bands and the gigs... it's an entity on its own. When I hear of gigs at the Qutub Minar, I feel good. Fifteen years ago, there were not many gigs, but now there are, and more bands. Films gave me a great break, but for the music fraternity at large, I'm glad that Delhi exists as another platform and there are things happening that keep it going."

Delhi musicians make music on their own terms and do what they believe in, says the singer. And since people in Bollywood have begun experimenting with music, he feels this is a definite positive. "People are trying different genres of music and seeing how it works for their films. The experimentation is good as it creates a lot more scope," he says.

New and young directors are also pushing for different tunes, he says, and that makes them come to Delhi musicians. "New directors do not want to tread the trodden path. They look at different things... Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but until you try, nothing will happen. So I'm glad that people are trying, because Delhi has a lot of talent."