RAJ SHEKHAR ON THE LYRICIST'S PLACE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW

The writer looks back at his journey so far, including working with South Indian composer Justin Prabhakaran for the upcoming R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh-starrer ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’

- By ANURAG TAGAT

Raj Shekhar remembers his early days in the music industry being marred by the hit-chasing machinations of Bollywood, which left little room for him to indulge his love for Hindi literature. But perhaps the most important thing the writer and lyricist—who now has over 100 songs to his name—learnt over the course of his journey from Tanu Weds Manu to the upcoming Aap Jaisa Koi is the importance of finding the right collaborators.

“You form an understanding with people,” he says, referencing his close bond with Vishal Mishra, with whom he has worked on multiple hits since 2014. “A lot is said about trust between artists. When I was younger, I didn’t understand what [that] meant. Now, I get that when someone plays a tune on their piano, it’s so gentle—the music room is so beautiful because there’s two people who trust each other. Me and the other person are so vulnerable that a third person being there in that moment would totally ruin it.” However, he admits, it’s not always an outsider who breaks that intimacy. “You know who that third person often is? It’s our own thoughts. When that sneaks in, the magic of that place ends.”

It’s been a long road to gaining recognition and, more importantly, a livelihood for Raj Shekhar. Whether in film songs like “Pehle Bhi Main” from Animal or OTT tracks like “Ishq Hai” from Mismatched season 3, the lyricist admits he’s now writing from a place of self-belief. “It’s not like I’ve reached some incredible height, but I’m just saying: I’m on this journey that’s good and don’t have too much self-doubt now about being a lyricist,” he tells Rolling Stone India.