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| Lucky Ali in Bhubaneswar to perform at Xpressions. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee |
Crooner Lucky Ali is back with his new album Raasta Man. The singer is in Bhubaneswar to perform for his fans at the Xpressions festival of XIMB. In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, the singer shared the concept behind his latest album and his views on various aspects of life.
You launched the album Raasta Man a few months ago. Tell us more about the theme of this unique musical collection.
Raasta Man is an album with everyday music for everyday people made of everyday emotions. The album explores different genres of music. It is a tribute to all the music lovers who have shown me great love.
Like your album Xsuie, Raasta Man was also launched online by your company Surplus Entertainment. What is the concept behind the Internet release and how has the response been?
I did not want any music company to sell the album since I understand that the music industry has been failing because of commercialisation since the past 15 years. I believe musicians are not interested only in making money. People can listen to the music they love on Internet by simply downloading it. In fact, the response has been amazing
As a traveller, what are your observations on your first visit to Odisha?
Our culture is kaleidoscopic and there are so many fascinating things to see and feel throughout the country. Apart from loving the sound of the language of Odisha, my first thoughts about the state are that it is clean and it seems a lot of good work is being done by the authorities here which is evident from the face of the city. I would like to explore the state some time.
The green cover of the state is most impressive.
Have you planned to perform anything special for the Bhubaneswar audience at the concert on Sunday?
We will mostly be presenting songs from Raasta Man and then, whatever the crowd loves. The vibes from my listeners inspire me. My team (including bass guitarist Misquah Mubah, Odia flute player Butto and percussionist Muto) believes in giving importance to captivating sounds and instrumentals. So, we will present some spontaneous experiments.
You have been an environment activist and this reflects in your projects such as organic farming and even in your songs about pollution concerns. What is the latest activity you have undertaken in this field?
The environment should be a concern for every individual. If we cut one tree we must do so only after taking permission from the tree and plant 10 more. In Sifar, some songs were dedicated to these thoughts. Also, since I am a strong believer in organic farming, I have started working on Aquaponics at my farm. It is a very effective method in which one does not need to use soil for growing vegetables. Instead, water and fishes are . The crops consume elements secreted by the fishes while the fishes receive nutrients from the vegetables.