One for the baby

When we met, we couldn't help asking her to sing a few lines of her evergreen hit, 'Vaada Raha Sanam'. In the stillness of the studio, the melody of her voice was captivating to say the least. Well, Alka Yagnik is all set to cast her spell on the little ones with her new album, Lories. She speaks to CS about the magic of lullabies:


WHO: Alka Yagnik
WHAT: Speaks about her new album, Lories
WHERE: Her studio in Andheri

Lalla lalla loree
Frankly, I was a little surprised when the producer told me that it was an album of lories. But the idea was a new one, and appealed to me. I like lories because of their sweet and lilting nature. But I feel that the concept of singing lories to one's child is slowly dying out. They are a part of our tradition and need to be nurtured. When you sing a loree to an infant, you're building a bond with your child. I feel it's every child's birthright to have someone to sing a loree to her. The album has a number of soft, melodious numbers that create a peaceful atmosphere. A kid will feel relaxed after hearing the songs. After all, lories have a universal appeal; it's loved by all kids, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor.

My favourites
Like all traditional mothers, my mom too used to sing lories to me. She used to sing 'Chandan Ka Palna, Resham Ki Doree', 'Aaja Re Aaa Nindiya', 'So Jaa Rajkumari' and others. Every child loves the sound of her mother's voice and I was no different. I feel that every new age mother should also know to sing lories to her baby. My daughter, Sayesha, loved every loree that I'd croon to her; Chanda O Chanda was her favourite.u00a0

Singing mom
The life of a working mom is quite challenging. I couldn't spend as much time with Sayesha as I would have liked to. I remember rushing through my studio assignments in order to go home and spend time with her. My parents looked after her when I went to work. As a result, I was assured that she was in the safest of hands and that gave me the courage to pursue my career.u00a0

In the future
I would love to sing something different now. After doing a lot of tried and tested stuff, I want something challenging. A number of good singers have entered the industry and it's amazing to see the talent in India. My only regret is that most of today's songs don't have the everlasting melody to them. There is less concentration on melody and more on rhythm patterns and techno sounds.