A Driven Voice: There is more to this engaging youngster than meets the eye.

You may not know his name yet, but Prajoth D’sa is on the cusp of great things. A young and talented singer with a good melodious voice, there is more to this engaging engineer than meets the eye. His charismatic personality clubbed with his energetic, infectious and soulful voice tells many a story with depth, maturity and passion. During the course of the interview (after permission from his producers), we get to hear his Bollywood debut song “Aahatein teri mere dil mein” and we can bet for sure that this romantic tune is sure to catch on fast. As we hear more of his soulful songs that pack a punch and compliment his voice, we can feel the raw emotion and energy coming through. Mesmerized with his voice, we throw a volley of questions to find out a little more about his life, his music and passion that this singer answers with ease and a dimpled smile on his face. See what Prajoth has to say about his Bollywood innings, his first love and his favourite singers. Here is a rendezvous with Prajoth:

Films & TV World: Did you always want to become a singer? How did your musical journey begin?

Prajoth D’sa: Yes! I always wanted to. I have sung and played music since childhood. Hailing from a Catholic family from Mangalore, I started singing and playing music at the church choir. Later I was offered a couple of albums which gained recognition for my talent and I was offered to sing for some of the leading composers back at my place which helped me grow as a singer. Since then I have had a good fortune to work with some amazing songwriters and artists in my hometown as well as in the Kannada film industry, perform at their concerts, made television appearances, written and composed songs and had the opportunity to meet endless number of inspiring people along the way and looking forward for more with "Kuch Alagsa".

FTV: When you decided to take up music as your career, how did you plan to go about it?

Prajoth: I cannot find words to describe how or when it happened to me. Music has always been a part of me. I'm a Software Engineer by profession and a Singer by passion. At one stage, juggling both became a daunting task. That is when the idea of having a studio setup at home occured to me. This helped me a lot to make best use of my leisure. I believe, if you want to be a singer or a musician especially a professional one, it is important to devote ample time towards training yourself in music and this gave me just what I needed.

FTV: So how did Kuch Alagsa happen?

Prajoth: I met Mohan Das of Eon Films and we were discussing about our projects. He told me about Kuch Alagsa and I liked the concept very much. It was something out of the box. He was looking for an appealing song for the movie and that's how "Aahatein Teri" was born.

FTV: You come from a place which is steeped in Carnatic Music. How did you perfect your Urdu diction for this song “Aahatein teri mere dil mein”?

Prajoth: Yes that's true! Regional music and culture has always been close to my heart. I listen to all kind of music. I always wanted to groom myself as a multi-lingual singer. Bollywood recently saw a huge influence of Urdu usage. Urdu is well known for its poetic beauty. It goes well with integration of words together with ease. I found this very fascinating and began digging for more and more words and their meanings. That helped me frame the right feelings and diction I wanted to have in the song "Aahatein Teri".

FTV: Have you had any role models?

Prajoth: I have always been an admirer of legendary Kishore Kumarji and Mohammed Rafiji and their immortal songs. Sonu Nigam and KK also being my all time favourites.

FTV: What do you feel about remixes?

Prajoth: I personally like remixes. After all it's 'Music'. It is like the same wine in a different bottle. I would say remixes are just another way of projecting music in a way that is more appealing to the younger generation. In simple words, more catchy and entertaining.

FTV: What do you feel about music reality shows and music talent hunts? Never tried?

Prajoth: Musical talent hunts/shows are flooding the TV screens today. I think it is definitely a great platform to showcase talent and gives the right exposure required for people to make a career in music. It's like a gateway to fame and success. No, I never tried any.

FTV: Do you think musical talent hunt shows help contestants to get a foothold in playback singing?

Prajoth: Hmmm... partially yes. Even for those who don't make it to the top, there is hope. There is no dearth of exposure today. But sadly, most of the winners of such shows have not made much headway after the initial breaks that came their way.

FTV: Recently you have sung for a Kannada film too. Tell us something about that song.

Prajoth: Yes I did. It's a patho song that comes at the climax of the movie. It's something different from what I've sung so far. Playback is always a great experience. You will have to get the right feel out of the song.

FTV: Tell us something about your upcoming projects?

Prajoth: I have enough projects lined up right now including a couple of albums and movies. There is also a Kannada movie set to release for which I have done a playback and of course "Aahatein Teri" which is my debut Bollywood feat. Hopefully people will like my work.

FTV: What is the present day music scene like?

Prajoth: It is evident that music is an integral part of Indian cinema. There are various new trends in the music industry today. There has been lot of experimenting and fusions. There is ample opportunity to think out of the box. As I said earlier, there is no dearth of opportunity for the talents in the industry. It is a competitive industry and the competition has definitely grown fierce in the present day scenario. Everyone is trying to come up with something new and innovative. That's actually a good sign for the industry's growth.

FTV: Your Top 10 Bollywood favourite songs of all times.

Prajoth: on the scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this way:

1. Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas

2. Dil Ke Jharoke

3. Pukarta Chala Hoon Main

4. Kaho Na Pyaar Hai

5. Kal Ho Naa Ho

6. Tu Mile Dil Khile

7. Chookar Mere Mann Ko

8. Dil Kya Kare

9. Roja Jaaneman

10. Dil Ko Tumse Pyaar Hua

As we wind this interview, we carry his “Aahatein teri mere dil mein” in our hearts that tells a moving and evolving story inspired by a sense of isolation and despondency giving a romantic feel to this song. As we move on to our next interview, we wish him all the best as he continues on his new journey ahead...