2009: Music at a glance

Aman Kanth

Year 2009 has been an eventful year for both Bollywood and Hollywood, especially when it comes to the world of music - right from the glorious Oscars of AR Rahman to the tragic death of ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson. Walking down the memory lane, let’s recall some of the defining moments in the music scene this year. Bollywood : AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty win Oscars! The year started with a bang with the ‘Mozart of Madras’ AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty winning the prestigious Oscars for Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ at the 81st Academy Awards in Los Angeles. AR Rahman lifting two Oscars, one for the Best Original Song ‘Jai Ho’, which he shared with noted Bollywood lyricist Gulzar whereas another Oscar for the Best Original Score. Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Resul Pookutty won the Oscars for Best Sound Mixing along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Gangubai Hangal passes away! Indian classical music suffered a big blow with the death of renowned khayal singer Gangubai Hangal (5th March 1913 – 21st July 2009). Recipient of umpteen international accolades and prestigious awards such as the Tansen award and Padma Vibhushan, Hangal was a prolific singer whose oeuvre included light classic music in addition to thumri, bhajans and khayals. Known for her powerful and deep voice, the celebrated singer died of cardiac arrest at a ripe age of 96. Music Director Ismail Darbar in ‘Bigg Boss’! Apart from delivering hit music for ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and ‘Devdas,’ it seems Ismail has hit a rough patch as the maverick music director is busy with everything rather than making music! Recently, Ismail was in news for being a part of reality series ‘Bigg Boss.’ However, it seems that even the reality show was incapable of holding the Bollywood musician, as he felt quite relived after being evicted from the show as in one of his interviews Ismail said, "I am maha khush (extremely happy) to be out of ‘Bigg Boss.’ I was starting to get very bored inside, especially with my broken hand as I couldn`t do much." Ismail shared the ‘Bigg Boss’ house with Poonam Dhillon, Tanaaz Currim, Raju Srivastava, Bakhtiyaar Irani, Shamita Shetty and Vindu. Well, let’s hope that in year 2010, we get to hear you more on the big screen rather than small screen! Kailash Kher rocks with ‘Kurkure Desi Beats Rock On’ A versatile singer whose classically trained, high-pitched, raw and earthy voice mesmerizes one and all, Bollywood singer Kailash Kher was last heard in ‘Chandni Chowk to China’ (2009) and ‘Kaminey’ (2009) apart from dabbling in reality shows, primarily MTVs ‘Kurkure Desi Beats Rock On’ where the versatile singer judged the contestants on their ‘Desipann Quotient.’ Hmm…, it seems Kailash needs to catch up with other Bollywood singers in the year 2010 while the latter make it big in Bollywood. `Officier de la Legion d`Honneur` for Lata Mangeshkar The `Nightingale of India`, Bollywood’s living legend Lata Mangeshkar was recently conferred with the highest civilian award of France, the Insignia of `Officier de la Legion d`Honneur` on 2nd December 2009 by French ambassador Jerome Bonnafont. A one of its kind, the award has been conferred to only Satyajit Ray and Amitabh Bachchan. While honouring Lata’s contribution to India cinema, Bonnafont said, "France has a tradition of supporting artists from all over the world. Bestowing the insignia of Officer of the Legion of Honour on Lata Mangeshkar, is a recognition of her incomparable singing career, and to a personality who has stayed at the top range in her field for over 60 years." Shreya Ghosal, Shankar Mahadevan and Prasoon Joshi win the National Award In a glittering 55th National Film Awards ceremony, President Pratibha Patil conferred the Best Female Playback Singer award to Bollywood songstress Shreya Ghoshal for the song ‘Ye Ishq Hai’ from the movie ‘Jab We Met.’ The Best Male Playback Singer award was conferred to Shankar Mahadevan for song ‘Maa’ from Taare Zameen Par while lyricist Prasoon Joshi bagged the Best Lyricist award for the same. Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Manna Dey Bollywood musical genius Manna Dey was conferred the 55th Dadasaheb Phalke Award by President Pratibha Patil for his lifetime contribution to Indian Cinema. A 90-year-old Manna, whose Bollywood playback-singing career spans over 60 years, joins the ranks of Pankaj Mullick, RC Boral and Lata Mangeshkar, musicians and singers who are rarely bestowed with this esteemed national award. Lyricist Javed Akhtar and ‘Vande Mataram’ controversy With the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind asking all the Muslims to refrain from singing the national song on the grounds that few of its lines were ‘against the religious principles of Islam,’ noted Bollywood lyrist and scriptwriter and laughed it off as a gimmick. Speaking his mind in an interview on this whole controversy, a vociferous Akhtar said, `It`s a non-issue and unnecessarily provocative. I`ve written songs with `Vande mataram` in them. I used the term `Vande mataram` in Priyadarshan`s `Saza-e-Kala Pani`. Then I used the term for a song in `Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani` and finally for a song that`s used at the military academy at Dehradun. Please don`t make an issue out of a non-issue.` Adnan Sami comes out with his 26/11 tribute album Adnan Sami recently came out with a new album that featured a special video ‘Let’s go to Mumbai city’ with renowned international artist and Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine Jackson where both pay glorious tribute to Mumbai. Speaking on his latest album in an interview, a nostalgic Sami said Mumbai has been his home for the past one decade. Talking about his album, Sami said, "It is a romantic album and the most important aspect of it is that we decided to include a tribute to the spirit of the people of Mumbai city. The city has gone through a lot in the past year. We as artistes wanted to do something special in our own way." Adnan said. Though a Pakistani by origin, Sami said that he is not scared by uncalled comments as his heart still belongs to Mumbai - "I don`t pay any heed to it. It means nothing to me because as far as I am concerned I have been living in the city for past 10 years. I am a Mumbaikar. It has a special place in my heart." Sonu Nigam’s 26/11 tribute anthem Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam came out with glorious tribute to the victims of 26/11 Mumbai attacks with his anthem - ‘Ungli uthe to, koi bare to, kardegi bagawat Mumbai.’ Written by Subbu and sung by fifteen singers including Shankar Mahadevan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Hariharan, Roop Kumar Rathod and Shaan, who have rendered their vocals for this 26/11 tribute anthem. Talking about his tribute anthem to a news daily, Sonu said, "I composed this anthem because I thought if this has come my way, there must be some good reason behind it." The new flavor of Bollywood: Mohit Chauhan Undeniably, Mohit Chauhan was spanking flavour of Bollywood in year 2009. With hits like ‘Masakali’ from ‘Delhi 6’ (2009), ‘Tu Ne Jo Kaha ’ from ‘New York’ (2009) and ‘Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai’ from ‘Kaminey’ (2009) and his chart topping solo debut album ‘Fitoor’ (2009) which is already creating waves in music circuits, Mohit Chauhan had a pretty successful run in the year 2009. Gifted with soulful voice that perfectly suit romantic ballads, Chauhan serenades with his soothing vocals that coalesce with an eclectic mix of sound space ranging from folk, jazz, contemporary, rock and fusion. Hollywood : ‘King of Pop’ bids adieu! One of the biggest entertainers of the twenty-first century, Michael Jackson left his fans in tears as he passed away on 25 June 2009. The untimely death of Jackson due to drug overdose left a huge void in the international music fraternity. A rare breed of entertainer, who ruled the music scene during the 70s, 80s and early 90s, Jackson enthralled the audiences with his foot tapping numbers such as ‘Thriller’, ‘Bad’, ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Dangerous’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Give Into Me’, ‘Black or White’ and many more. Though the musical prodigy is no more between us, his legacy continues to inspire generations. Remember Michael Jackson for his everlasting music rather than the squalid controversies that surrounded one the greatest entertainers of all time. Metallica enters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Metallica along with Run-DMC were the inducted to the 2009 class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, 1981, Metallica soon rose to fame thereby becoming one of the most reputable names in the history of metal bands. With albums like ‘Kill ‘Em All’ (1983), ‘Ride the Lightning’ (1984), ‘Master of Puppets’ (1988) and a self titled album (1991) catapulted Metallica in the league of masters. Till date, for any die hard metal-head, the genre of heavy rock commences and concludes with Metallica’s act. Whitney Houston makes a comeback! A veteran singer, who struggled with her vocals, Whitney made a big comeback with ‘I Look to You,’ her first album in the last seven years. Battling with drugs and a raucous divorce with Bobby Brown, Houston got a big boost with this 2009 bestseller, whose over three lakh copies flew off the shelf in the first week itself. Rihanna and Chris Brown controversy In the year 2009, ‘Umbrella’ singer was in news for all the wrong reasons, courtesy her altercation with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, who was later charged with criminal assaults on the R ‘n’ B singer. With Rihanna’s leaked Internet pictures showcasing a bruised singer, it further lead to a case of domestic violence and felony charge slapped against her former beau. Ever since then, the two have been under the constant media scrutiny. Meanwhile, Rihanna’s new album ‘R Rated’ is a way of getting her emotions out! Amy Winehouse battles with drugs Here’s one singer whose constant struggles to keep herself clean has jeopardized her promising musical career. The ‘Rehab ’ English singer, who shot to instant fame, has been in a troubled marriage with Blake-Fielder-Civil and suffering from drug abuse, both of which have taken a toll on her physical and mental health. Amy was seen holidaying with actor Josh Bowman in January 2009, but confessed that she still loves Blake, to whom she gave a divorce on 16th July 2009. During May 2009, a smashed Amy was hugely criticized for performing without preparations at the St Lucia’s Jazz Festival. Later, the troubled singer was also arrested for assaulting a woman for hitting her in the eye during the Prince Trust Charity Ball during September 2008. Lady Gaga’s antics Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta or popularly known as Lady Gaga, this ‘Poker Face’ singer rose to the heights of commercial success with her glam rock quotient. Hugely inspired by Queen, David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Madonna, the new found controversy queen, Lady Gaga shocked one and all with her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards show – appearing almost semi-nude, the singer wore nothing more than plastic bubbles. Nominated for a total of nine awards at the prestigious 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Gaga and her single ‘Paparazzi’ won the awards for Best New Artist, Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects respectively. A gay icon, Gaga shocked all when she dedicated the award to ‘God and the gays!’ Katy Perry dates Brit comedian Russell Brand Ever since Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson or Katy Perry came out with ‘Ur So Gay’ (2007) and ‘I Kissed a Girl’ (2008), the songstress has been a muse of pop aficionados. An accomplished singer, whose contralto vocals have been much praised, Perry is hugely inspired by Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette and Freddie Mercury. Known for bizarre dresses, Katy loves her vintage styling. The cherubic singer recently came out with an MTV Unplugged live album with two new singles ‘Brick By Brick’ and a cover from Fountains of Wayne ‘Hackensack.’ Perry will be soon coming with her second studio album. On personal front, after dating Travis McCoy for long, Perry is currently dating British comedian Russell Brand. Susan Boyle lives her ‘dream’ Susan Magdalane Boyle, a Scottish singer came to limelight when she appeared for reality show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ on 11th April 2009, crooning ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Misérables. Noted for her moving vocals and Plain Jane looks, Boyle rose to instant stardom and was the talk of the town for her singing talents. Though unable to win the reality show, Boyle’s singing talent was appreciated by one and all and as a result, her debut album ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, released on 23rd November 2009 has become the best selling music album, topping the charts in UK and US. Split-wide open: Katie Price and Peter Andre After four years of happy married life, Katie Price and Peter Andre annulled their marriage with divorce over marital discord. The two, who briefly met on reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!’ With both accusing each other of deceit, Katie blasted Peter for dumping her while the latter accused former of going out of control. Post their raucous break up, Peter is single while Katie is seeing a cage fighter Alex Reid. Beyonce and Jay-Z stand out at MTV Europe Music Awards The 16th EMAs held at Berlin were a huge hit that showcased stellar performances by Jay-Z, U2, Beyonce, Tokio Hotel, David Hasselhoff, Shakira, Leona Lewis, Green Day and Juliette Lewis. With Jay-Z winning the Best Urban artist award while Beyonce lifting the Best Video, Best Female, Best Song awards. U2 won the Best Live Act award, Green Day won the best Rock award while Lady Gaga won the Best New Act award and Eminem took the Best Male singer award. Shakira comes out with She Wolf With Shakira’s latest album topping the charts and grabbing eyeballs for its bold video, when enquired by a news daily on her raunchy avatar in She Wolf, the Colombian born singer said, "Every woman has a she-wolf inside her. We all have our secret desires and forbidden dreams, and I`m going through a phase where I want to capture more of that sensuality in my work. For the first time, I`m talking about those things with a little more freedom." The ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ singer went bold as she dances provocatively in a skin colour leotard bodysuit. Britney and the Circus tour Britney Jean Spears made a huge comeback in the year 2009 with her Circus World Tour – The Circus Starring: Britney Spears while getting restraining orders against her one time beau Adnan Ghalib, manager Sam Lufti and lawyer Jon Eardley, people who were conspiring to gain undue control over singer’s life. Free from stress, a rejuvenated Britney embarked on her comeback tour and new album ‘Circus.’ During March 2009, Britney’s world tour covered North America, Australia and Europe. Year 2009 also marked Britney’s ten years in the music fraternity as the singer commemorated the occasion with the release of her Greatest Hits album along with a new single ‘3.’ In all, year 2009 marks the return of pop princess Britney, often compared with Janet Jackson and Madonna. Madonna on a roll! In the year 2009, ‘Material Girl’ Madonna was in news primarily for quite a few reasons, firstly the Malawi kid adoption row where the singer was barred from adopting Chifundo ‘Mercy’ James as she was not the native of Malawi. Secondly, it was her raucous romance with Jesus Luz post her divorce with Guy Ritchie. Finally, it was the arrival of her third greatest hits album ‘Celebration’ in September 2009. The album comes with two new songs ‘Revolver’ and ‘Celebration’ apart from 34 hits. Incidentally, in September 2009 Madonna concluded her ‘Sticky and Sweet’ world tour.