In a candid conversation, Bollywood’s most loved voice Sonu Nigam has revealed the dark truth behind his sudden disappearance from films.
The singer, who is known for never shying away from speaking the truth, appeared on a podcast and opened up about the price he paid for fighting for singers’ rights.
Sonu Nigam shared that for years, he has been fighting for singers to get proper credit and royalty for their songs. He had even claimed earlier that some of his songs were given to other singers because he refused to sign unfair contracts.
Talking about his golden period, he said that his time at the peak was unbelievable. People loved him so much that not only his albums were superhits but even his posters used to sell like hot cakes. He said that fame comes and goes, and now his time has come back again.
But everything changed when he decided to raise the issue of copyright and royalty. He revealed that after he started talking about copyright, the biggest music labels stopped working with him. According to him, T-Series banned him and Zee Music also stopped giving him work, calling him an activist.
Sonu Nigam confessed that he never thought things would go so wrong. He thought the matter would be solved peacefully but it got worse instead. When he saw all doors closing, he told himself that they can stop giving him film songs but they cannot stop him from singing live on stage.
The singer said he always knew this fight was not just about him. He felt God gave him a bigger purpose. He believes God wanted him to complete the work that Lata Mangeshkar ji had started. He felt like God told him to risk his career at its peak for this cause because if he didn’t do it, no one else would have the courage.
His fight was not in vain. In 2012, the Copyright Act was changed and brought stronger rights and royalty rules for singers and performers. Sonu Nigam said that after the law changed, the music companies understood that he was never wrong and he was not asking for anything extra. Eventually, all the companies came back to him and now they share a very warm relation. They meet happily and even have meals together. He said someone had to take the first step.
When he was asked if he has forgiven the people who left him alone in his tough time, he humbly said that he is not a big enough person to forgive anyone.
Talking about today, Sonu Nigam said his second innings has begun. He is getting a lot of film songs again. From Laal Singh Chaddha, Shehzada, Mere Dholna, Param Sundari, Pardesiya, Vijoria to now Border 2, he has one project after another. People are singing his songs again and even his 30 years old songs are finding new fans. He feels everything is open now and it is all about timing.
Sonu Nigam did a great job despite facing problems in career!
