‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ has been one of the most sought after music reality shows in India. Indian Idol might be commercially bigger, but Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has definitely produced some of the best singers in the industry. The new season is set to start this year on March 26 on Zee TV.
The show, which returns to the small screen after a gap of four years, has had a change of format to suit the changing tastes of contemporary India.
Pritam, one of the ‘mentors’ of the upcoming season talks about how this year, the competition is only tougher and the show bigger. “The quest, this time around, is for voices of tomorrow–the most unique voices that are truly representative of contemporary India. We even have a 30 member jury comprising singers, DJs, music arrangers, lyricists, sufi specialists and folk artistes helping us pick the finest talent right from the audition phase. So, each singer will be evaluated from 30 different musical perspectives.”
Talking about how the reality show could be the road to commercial playback singing, he says, “As a composer, let me tell you, when we look for playback singers we usually surf online for their shows or performances and then select the most suitable singer basis our requirement. Their visibility on a platform like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa instantly puts them on a certain pedestal and we naturally consider them more seriously.”
There is going to be a complementary relationship between the jury and the mentors. Pritam added, “The 30 jury members will have their respective voting pads. They will be our indicators. This initiative is introduced to keep the process of talent selection very transparent and to ensure that only the best talent makes the cut. So, if we ever get stuck on who to pick, we have the jury and if the jury is stuck, they have us.”
This tete-a-tete only has got us waiting more to hear the new voices of India. And it seems the ‘mentors’ are excited too!
(Quotes from India Today)
