They began their journey as contestants but today they don a different hat. MUSKAN BAKSHI chats up captains of Sony TV’s Superstar Singer to bring you a report

Singing from the heart

From winning a music reality show to becoming a captain on Superstar Singer, Haryana-based 21-year-old, Salman Ali has come a long way. Ali comes from a Mirasi family where music has been passed down to him by his forefathers.

His aim was not to win a reality show but make his place in the heart of the audience. “My focus was to sing with my heart and passion. I never came to win a show but to win my audience’s and judges’ love which I have rightly done,” Ali tells you whose inspiration is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and above all his father.

Ali tells you that he is lucky to have found some of the best singers for his team. However, he doesn’t disclose their names. There is a reason.

“I teach these young singers not to feel the pressure or  see someone as a big competition. I want them to become good singers and good human beings above all,” he tells you.

‘My journey began at 6’

Having lent her voice for  films like Behen Hogi Teri, Fukrey Returns and Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Jyotica Tangri has evolved as an artist. Starting off as a contestant in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2016 to becoming a captain in Superstar Singers, Tangri feels blessed to have got this opportunity.

“I feel honoured to be a part of the Superstar Singers. Being a captain comes with lots of responsibilities. I hope I can live up to them. I would love to share all my experiences with these young singers,” she tells you.

Tangri is looking for passionate singers who have the fire in them.

“I am going to focus on the hidden talent of these children  and help them explore themselves. I am looking for passionate singers who are eager to learn and sing from their hearts,” she explains.

Music, for her, has been a childhood passion. Her inspiration is her mother, who used to sing during her college days.

“I started learning music since I was six-year-old and continued till I came to Mumbai and learn from the industry,” she says and adds that Ishq De Fanniyar from Fukrey Returns is her favourite song till now.

Tangri never fear challenges, more so because her family stands with her through all thick and thin.

“Wherever I am today, the credit goes to my family. They never let me feel that I am alone. It was because of  their support that I overcame all the challenges that came my way,” she says.

Never die attitude

Another one who is making it big because of his soulful voice is 29-year-old boy , Sachin Valmiki from UP.

Valmiki was the first runner up in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2016 before stepping in the captain’s shoes for Superstar Singer. But nothing came easy to him.

“My journey has been tough. As a contestant I had the pressure to sing well but now as a mentor my responsibilities have increased. Not only do I have to sing well but also have to train these contestants to sing well without letting them feel the pressure,” he says.

A teacher by profession, Valmiki came to Mumbai when he decided pursue singing as a career. “Though I come from a music background, I wasn’t interested in singing. My mother used to play dholak in ceremonies. One day, she asked me to sit and sing with her. She loved my voice and encouraged me to pursue it as a career.

“She helped me a lot. She my first guru. But family circumastances were such that I had to take up a job. But money was tight and I couldn’t take music classes and gave up learning,” Valmiki recalls.

But then he got an opportunity to audition for reality shows. Not that it was easy. He auditioned for several shows  but never got selected.

He decided to give up on his dream. But his friends convinced him to give one last try and that is how he got through to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2016.

He didn’t win but was adjudged first runner’s up and that changed things for him.

Trophy didn’t matter. “What mattered was the love that I got. I had to struggle a lot to reach where I am today. I don’t want the kids to go through the same problems that I did. I want to teach my team to learn to be good singers and not think about winning the trophy,” Valmiki says.