I owe my success to Allah and my parents who have sacrificed so much to get me where I am.

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.

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.

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.

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'm not complaining if my work is getting more recognition than me.

I grew up listening to Hindi and Marathi songs of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale.

I like works by Bryan Adams and Mariah Carey, among others.

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 may not be a party-hopper, but I'm a diehard romantic.

I know nothing other than singing and I feel blessed.

I believe that your creativity increases when you evolve with changing technology.

I like to experiment when it comes to music.

Healthy competition is good to boost ourselves and helps you to take the flight forward.

If my singing leaves a long-lasting effect in the mind of the listeners, it is the blessing of the Almighty.

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.

I love going to Jama Masjid and Daryaganj whenever I am in Delhi.

It's easier to record because technology is advanced. That's why there is a spurt in the number of new singers.

I enjoy singing in different languages, be it Telugu or Bengali. I would like to sing in Malayalam too.

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.

Ghulam Ali Khan saab is my greatest inspiration.

I am a very shy person.

I have sung all kinds of songs - be it ghazals, qawwalis, romantic numbers or peppy numbers.

Sufi music talks about connecting people. It talks about connecting hearts and connecting man with God. Everything that talks about connection is Sufi.

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.

When I was recording 'Kun-Faaya-Kun,' I did it like I was offering Namaaz.

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.

My father belongs to Muzaffarnagar. Though I was born and brought up in Delhi, we, as a family, are known as U.P. wallahas.

As an artist, I do not want to limit my skills to one medium alone.

Eventually, I began singing in various shows. It was then that I started appreciating the breadth and depth of Hindi film music.

One has to sing from the heart to let it touch the right chords. Unless you enjoy the song, your listener will not either.

Everyone has their own individuality and it is important that it comes out.

Healthy competition is very important in any industry. It keeps you on your toes and helps you grow.

To be honest, I hadn't realised the greatness of film music till I was exposed to film songs after I started living in Mumbai.

I am fortunate that I was born in a family where music was already a part of life.

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.

I rarely get the time to watch cricket as I am busy with recordings.

I've lost count of how many times I have performed in Chennai.

Odisha people are very musical. Our music industry has got many talented artists from Odisha. They love music a lot.

A lot of singers entered the industry with me. A lot of them struggled. Many have not been able to make it but some have sustained.

The response that I get from the Lucknow audience is always the best.

In independent music, you are the badshah and there are no restrictions, which allow you to embrace your true music. Whereas in playback, your first obligation is to your music director and then to your sensibilities.

I do see myself doing more than just playback singing.

It's very difficult to get recognized in Bollywood. There are so many talented singers and so much competition.

I personally make sure that my songs are all original without any technical help, and only when that happens that I get complete satisfaction as a singer.

I think every singer should get a formal training in music.

I get excited when I sing in a new language.