By Ahana Bhattacharya

Mumbai, Mar 22 (IANS): Singer Shahid Mallya does not seem to have a lot of respect for musicians who devote their time mostly to remixing old songs instead of creating something original.

"Remixes are made by people who are sitting free, who don't want to put in more effort and creativity. I am not with this trend. Nothing can compare to the originals. To make a new song, you need new lyrics and new tune. There are new good melodious songs being made but the audiences of today have become diverted and choosy," Shahid told IANS.

"Many composers have approached me, but whenever I've learnt that a song is a remix, I have said no," he added.

"I would request all composers to make new music so that we can present it to the audience and earn praise for something original instead of what is composed or sung by others," he said.

Shahid recently released his devotional single "Aye maula" and another single "Phir se tu aa", which he has sung together with Shambhavi Thakur. What is he working on next?

"I have been working on a lot of singles. There are some Hindi songs and a few Punjabi numbers. Soon you will get to know about it. There are a few films songs lined up too, but since a lot of people are not going to theatres right now, we are waiting for the situation to get normal, so that audiences can enjoy watching films and songs in theatres," Shahid informed.

How comfortable is Shahid Mallya with online concerts, which has become the new normal during the ongoing pandemic?

"Online concerts are fine during the pandemic, so that the connection between the audience and artistes is maintained. However, nothing can compare to the joy of physical concerts, the audiences' interaction during the performance, their clapping is something which can be felt only in physical concerts. I miss all that but am just going with the flow of virtual concerts for the time being," concluded the singer.