‘My music should be free for all’

Singer-actor Lucky Ali stormed the music industry with his independent music albums — Sunoh (1996) and Sifar (1998) — soon became Bollywood’s coveted ballad singer and even dabbled in acting. But after a while, the talented musician vanished from the pop indie scene. The 52-year-old is back on the radar with his new album, Raasta-Man, which is also the first album to be produced by Ali’s music label Lucky Ali Entert-ainment, which is part of Surplus Group, co-founded by Ali. The album that released on July 7 will be available for free download on the Internet. “My music should be available to everyone and it should be free,” says Ali.

The Bangalore-based singer does not toe the line of most singers and music labels, which is also the reason why Ali started his own label. “I wanted to free from the bondage of music companies. Having my own label gives me creative freedom,” he says. The singer will also undertake grand multi-city road show concerts, covering 25 cities in India spaced over three months to popularise his album. “We will be generating revenue by the sales of the concert tickets and not by selling my album. Those who buy the tickets will be given a copy of my album,” says Ali, who has composed the music and penned lyrics of the album songs.

Ali, who last sang a playback number in Anjaana Anjaani (2010), prefers independent music. “I am not looking at Bollywood currently as I am happy with what I am doing. This, however, doesn’t mean that what Bollywood is doing for music is not good. Everyone is allowed to follow what they believe in, to each his own,” he says. The singer, who recently married a British model — his third marriage — has always got a lot of media attention for his personal life. But Ali is unfazed: “It is a reality, and one must face it responsibly... There is nothing good or bad in life.”