“Not Always Live”: Shaan Lifts the Curtain on Reality Show Performances

Playback singer Shaan, celebrated for chart-topping hits like Woh Ladki Hai Kahan, Kuch To Hua Hai, and Main Aisa Kyun Hoon, has been a familiar face on the judging panels of popular reality shows such as The Voice India and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs. In a recent interview with Vicky Lalwani, however, Shaan offered a surprising behind-the-scenes glimpse into the production of these shows, revealing unexpected details about how performances are actually put together.

In a candid moment during his interview with Vickey Lalwani, Shaan was asked why many talented singers from reality shows struggle to break into the music industry despite their impressive performances. In response, he said, "I am not just told but I am convinced and I know for a fact that they are re-dubbing the songs..." He explained that until around 2018, during his time on such shows, the performances were mostly authentic with only minor tuning adjustments. However, he revealed that nowadays, "the entire song is completely re-dubbed..." This, he pointed out, creates unrealistic expectations among the audience. As he put it, "Your expectations go sky-high. But when you actually call them to sing something for you, you realise they’re a major disappointment."

"Vahan jo gaate hain voh ek baari hi hota hai (What they sing there happens only once), but then they take that audio to the studio and make them sing again. This has been going on for a few years now. Then it's also fixed, corrected. So when an audience is listening, you level anything out which is out of tune. How's that possible? Kuch hadh tak toh voh gaa rahe hain. Koi behtar gaa raha hai, koi kum behtar gaa raha hai, ussi par reactions aarahe hain (To some extent, they are singing — some are singing better, some not as well — and that's what’s getting the reactions). I had a few fallouts when these things were being forced initially," he added.

Shaan recently contributed his vocals to a track from Salman Khan’s newest film, Sikandar. Titled Bam Bam Bhole, the song also features vocals by Dev Nagi, with lyrics penned by Sameer Anjaan. The rap sections were written and performed by Shaikhspeare, Y-Ash, and Husxain, while the music was composed by Pritam.