Mika Singh took a trip down memory lane and recalled his early days in the music industry. He spoke about his success in Punjabi music and how it helped him financially before he entered Bollywood.
Speaking to Kapil Sibal on his YouTube channel, Mika said his career changed after Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag became a hit. The song brought him wider recognition and led to more opportunities to perform at live shows.
After the success of the song, Mika said that he began earning Rs 10,000 per show. Before establishing himself as an independent singer, he used to perform with his elder brother Daler Mehndi's group, where he earned Rs 500 per show.
Mika said, "I wanted to be a music director, but my song was a superhit, even though I didn't sing well. I wrote the song myself."
When Mika began looking for opportunities in Bollywood in 2006, he found that many aspiring singers were trying to work with leading music composers such as Anu Malik and AR Rahman. Instead of following the same route, Mika decided to take a different approach to establish himself in the Hindi film industry.
He said, "No one was paying attention to getting shows. Contestants from shows like Indian Idol were trying to get an opportunity with music directors and would struggle for years. My target was to do maximum shows."
Mika recalled that singer Shaan once advised him not to take his Hummer when meeting producers and music composers. The Hummer was the luxury car Mika used to drive at the time. According to Mika, Shaan felt that arriving in an expensive vehicle could make industry professionals think he was already well-off and did not need work.
Mika said, "When I would drive in my Hummer, people would say you won't get a song like this. They told me you should travel in an auto because a music director might get offended if you are too successful and have a big car. Shaan told me the same thing, 'Go in an auto. The producer should not get the impression that you are rich. They should feel like you need work.' I said I won't do that. I will drive in my Hummer. Someone will spot me."
"My plan was, I will go around in my Hummer, they will get the impression that he is a big singer, even though I wasn't," he added.
Mika then recalled his first meeting with Pritam. The meeting began with some confusion. Mika said he did not know what Pritam looked like and, after hearing several of his Hindi film songs with Punjabi influences, assumed that the composer was a Sikh man named Pritam Singh.
During his meeting with Pritam, the composer asked Mika to return the next day to record a song. Mika, however, turned down the immediate offer on purpose. He said he did not want to appear too eager or give the impression that he had no other work.
"He asked me to come see him the next day to record a song. I thought if I tell him I am free the next day, he will think I have nothing to do. I told him I am busy, so he said come the day after that. I said yes and that's how I got 'Dil Mein Baji Guitar'," said Mika.
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