I take it positively when someone says I sound different: Nakul Abhyankar

Chennai

“I am a person who just can’t be idle. I keep experimenting with tunes and notes. That is how I kept myself busy during the lockdown. I keep learning and upgrading myself,” Nakul tells DT Next. His latest song for AR Rahman is Choose Maaye Ilaa from 99 Songs. “I am glad that Rahman sir finds me apt for his compositions and he brings something new out of me every time. It has been a great journey with him so far and it will continue,” he says. Talking about his experience of composing music for Love Mocktail 2, he says, “My days at KM Conservatory came in handy for composing music for Love Mocktail 2. Being a composer is quite challenging as we will have to work with several people in tandem and ensure that we are all on the same page. Moreover, working with other singers as a composer helps me know where I stand as a singer. It has its own learning and unlearning.” Just like an actor or a director, a singer too tends to be stereotyped according to Nakul. “A singer needs to try out different genres else they would be typecast. A composer like Rahman sir pushes a singer to try something different from previous songs. If you ask me the best feedback, I have received as a singer is when someone told me ‘Hey that doesn’t sound like you. This is so different.’ I take that as a compliment instead of taking offense to it,” he concludes.