When aspiring desi artists ask for my advice on singing, I always tell them the same thing: don’t serve yourself — serve the song. Any choices you make while singing, should always come from the intention of serving the song. All too often, our people feel the need to over-improvise and engage in unnecessary displays of virtuosity — quick vocal runs, scales, scatting, ghamaks, mukhriyaan, etc. And you know what, I totally get it. In this age of techno-fascism, you’ve got half a second to hook ppl in before they keep scrolling. So naturally, these singers feel the pressure to “front-load” their performances with these acrobatics. But it almost never serves the underlying melody or lyrics or message of the song — instead, these more wholesome elements get buried by gimmicks. These vocal acrobatics may seem impressive on the surface, but to me, they have nothing to do with actual vocal skill. Why? Because it’s WAY more challenging to sing a simple melody — in tune, with good enunciation and heartfelt emotion — than it is to do crazy scale runs, trills, etc. Trust me on this. Of course, I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be improvisation at all. I’m just saying all that stuff should come only after you’ve passed this first litmus test: Can you sing the basic, barebone melody of a song with solid intonation, solid pronunciation and heartfelt emotion? If so, then you’ve served the song. And if you do that, I promise you that the song will serve you back 🙌🏾😊 #singingtechnique #howtosing #indiansingers #simplicityisbeauty