Singing For Much More Than Supper Options

[Pradeep]

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_st...ontent_id=70000

by Bella Jaisinghani

There is fame, glamour and accolade when you are a successful singer. And money too. What's more, if you are a woman, you won't be singing dirges when it comes to discrimination. This is one field where women get paid as much as men — unlike what it is in the film world where male actors earn more than female actors. But ask a cross-section of female singers about the drawbacks of the profession and they instantly mention practical problems like having to travel alone and handling finances.

Penaz Masani addresses the question of equal payment. I don't think payment is to do with gender. Jagjit Singh may get paid more, but that is because of his seniority, not because he is a man. I got paid Rs 3,000 when I was a newcomer and then the amount gradually increased. I remember getting Rs 12,000 some time later—and it was a big amount those days, she says.

Sadhana Sargam agrees: Fortunately, it is not your gender that decides how much you get paid, it is your talent and the position you hold in the industry, she says.

Hema Sardesai feels that not many singers are comfortable handling the financial aspect of their profession. My husband handles my finances. It's not that I am incapable as a woman, it's just that I am not great at it personally. If I had to do it myself I'm sure I could. But having my husband for a manager leaves me free to concentrate on my art, she adds.

New singing sensation Shreya Ghoshal has a manager in Sachin Kulkarni to handle her deals. I started working when I was 15 years old. My father would initially take care of my finances until my workload increased and it became too much for him too. So now I have a manager who negotiates my deals. But not because I am a woman, she says.

In fact, she has an interesting take on why any performer, man or woman, should leave the deals to secretaries. Artistes can be pressurised by people with a job to be done. And you cannot be rude to them because you have an image to protect. So it is always better to have a professional handling your accounts, she avers.

But Penaz collects her payments herself, with no major disadvantage: There were one or two occasions when cheques bounced. So I stopped accepting cheques and now settle for demand drafts or cash payment, she adds.

Shubha Mudgal, known to be at ease singing both classical and commercial music says, I handle most projects including the financial aspects myself, although in the past few years I have been able to take the help of managers too. However, the concept of hiring professional managers, secretaries and agents is not very common in India, particularly among musicians doing classical music. Musicians working with film and popular music are more likely to have managers and secretaries than are classical musicians, according to her. Sometimes, people from within the family take on the role of a manager, although they might not be professionally trained for it, she adds.

Shubha says she now works with two very efficient women, Fazila Allana and Kamna Narula, who represent a company called SOL. But although they handle all aspects of the work, I am always consulted, she says. Shubha's advice is that a singer needs to learn how to stipulate terms and conditions (preferably in writing) and not be self conscious about doing so.

Talking about the importance of money in her profession, Kavita Krishnamurthy says: It is a small measure of an artiste's success. She offers some valuable tips to new entrants to the field. It is your talent that takes you places. Of course, money is necessary, but it is not as if I do 20 shows a month to make money. I love singing, and that is the only reason I came into this field, she says.

The one situation that most female singers fear is either working late hours without someone around for them, or having to travel out of town alone. Hema has her husband for company. Shreya records till 1.00 a.m. almost every day and has her mother to take her everywhere. But Sadhana Sargam, yet another well-known singer, does not face that problem where recordings are concerned. Singing is my career after all, and these days there has been so much advancement in recording techniques that one doesn’t need to work odd hours. The sound recordist records the music track in advance and then asks us when it's convenient for us to come and sing. I usually prefer to record during the day, she says.

But Sadhana agrees that it gets uncomfortable when she has to travel by herself after a stage show. I usually get either my secretary or my father to accompany me when I am doing shows as they only start by 9.00 p.m. Of course, having to travel out of town for shows does mean having to take an escort, she adds.

Penaz's mother would travel with her on her shows till as recently as five years ago. Since she became a little indisposed, I have been travelling alone. I think it all depends on how you conduct yourself. To my parents' horror, I have travelled alone in Bihar! I guess I am just lucky! she says.

Then there is the question of parity with men. Penaz says, I do not grudge my male friends the prerogative to offer women chairs or open a door for them, but I do not seek special favours. If I were doing a show, my hosts would obviously put me up at a good five-star hotel. I can't see a male performer being put up in one hotel and the lady in another! Despite all this, she has consciously maintained a sweet girl image, but takes care not to socialise too much. And she stopped shaking hands with men a long time ago. And despite the stress on how gender equality is maintained in this profession, the following comment from Shreya might prove to be a dichotomy: The one time things get a little embarrassing is when men make lewd talk among themselves. That is the only disadvantage I find as a woman singer.