I owe my success to Allah and my parents who have sacrificed so much to get me where I am.
Javed Ali
I grew up listening to Hindi and Marathi songs of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale.
From my early training days, I am an avid listener of heavy music which is laced with proper diction and effective use of grammar of music.
I am huge fan of Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Ghulam Ali and Mehdi Hassan. Listening to these people inspired me to become a singer.
Sufi music talks about connecting people. It talks about connecting hearts and connecting man with God. Everything that talks about connection is Sufi.
I believe that your creativity increases when you evolve with changing technology.
When I was recording 'Kun-Faaya-Kun,' I did it like I was offering Namaaz.
As I grew older, I realised that I could be versatile. I decided to try out a variety of singing styles by becoming a playback singer.
Until I started performing in public, when at the end of the concert people would come to me with teary eyes and say that my performance took them to a trance zone, I had no idea that I can create an impact with my singing.
I like works by Bryan Adams and Mariah Carey, among others.
I stand in support of royalty for singers, but sometimes things happen all of a sudden and you have to sign a contract.
I may not be a party-hopper, but I'm a diehard romantic.
It's easier to record because technology is advanced. That's why there is a spurt in the number of new singers.
Tum Tak' is a beautiful thought and is a rhythmic expression. It's been composed beautifully. It may sound easy but is difficult to attempt or sing it live.
I love going to Jama Masjid and Daryaganj whenever I am in Delhi.
Music has no language barriers and this has been proved right several times by the Chennai audience.
I am a very shy person.
When you hear a romantic song, the feeling is incomparable.
I have got a lot of appreciation from people and they really like my voice in Sufi songs, so I will continue with that, but I'm also experimenting with other types of songs.
I know nothing other than singing and I feel blessed.
I enjoy singing in different languages, be it Telugu or Bengali. I would like to sing in Malayalam too.
I am a die hard fan of Lucknow food, so whenever I am in city I make sure to have the famous kebabs.
I am fortunate that I was born in a family where music was already a part of life.
Ustad Ghulam Ali has been a huge influence and has guided me constantly. In fact, it was he who suggested I change my stage name to Javed Ali from Javed Hussain.
I have sung all kinds of songs - be it ghazals, qawwalis, romantic numbers or peppy numbers.
Your knowledge remains limited if you just listen to your songs but you grow as a singer when you listen to other singers' work - their style, accent and modulation. You end up absorbing new things.
Coming from a middle class background, I faced a lot of hardships during my initial years in Mumbai. I did not have much money and had to sing jingles and bhajans to survive. But those years taught me that a singer should be versatile.
I love to go to Aksa Beach at midnight.
Odisha people are very musical. Our music industry has got many talented artists from Odisha. They love music a lot.
It's an amazing experience to perform in Nagpur! Music aficionados here appreciate good music and shower their love magnanimously on artistes.
Music is a blessing which God has given to all of us. All of us might not be able to sing but we have an ear for songs and music, that itself is a big blessing.
There was a time in the 1980s when music was almost over. If you think about it, it will be tough for you to remember any song which came during that time. But now music has come back. There are amazing musicians like Vishal-Shekhar, Amit Trivedi, Sneha Khanwalkar who are doing a good job.
Though I come from Delhi, many other artistes like me attained success in Maharashtra.
Ghulam Ali Khan saab is my greatest inspiration.
I never doubted the fact that I could make it. I always believed in myself.
Gujaratis not only love music, but they equally appreciate the artists. They express their appreciation wholeheartedly, they dance with you, sing along and always enjoy the music.
I get excited when I sing in a new language.
Music is in my genes. My entire family is into singing.
I am not a known face and a lot of people wouldn't recognise me if I walked into a room. But that's okay with me. I want people to recognize me through my work.
I have sung songs for several actors in movies, including Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. Unfortunately, even after singing songs for their movies like 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and 'Raees,' the two actors have not lip-synced them on screen.
I am very fond of western genres, including EDM.
I'm not complaining if my work is getting more recognition than me.
My association with the Times of India has been a great journey. I have done over 15 shows within two years for the brand. I am glad to be a part of their events, as it gives me an opportunity to interact and perform for my fans across the country.
It's an honour when your audience sings along, more than they listen to you at a live gig.
I do not support that everyone has to be a trained classical singer to be able to sing in films but some sort of knowledge in classical space can take you to places.
I like to experiment when it comes to music.
If my singing leaves a long-lasting effect in the mind of the listeners, it is the blessing of the Almighty.
One of the interesting things about watching a kid perform is that they are too innocent to understand how talented they are… they have no inhibitions. If you ask them to sing, they will sing based on whatever training and practice they have.
Basically as someone who grew up in Delhi, crooning in southern languages which I don't understand is very difficult.
Some of my fans tell me that my voice is more suited for romantic numbers, some others say I do Sufi songs better. But that just goes to say that people are more aware of the different genres now. More people are getting exposed to sufi music because of Bollywood, which is good.
