This modern nightingale has been winning hearts with multiple hits one after the other. Gulshan Kumar’s daughter, Tulsi Kumar, has become one of the most talked about names in the Bollywood music industry. Some of her hits include Tum Jo Aye Zindagi Mein, Saiyaan Superstar, Soch Na Sake, O Saki Saki and Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. She’s won many prestigious awards like the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, Mirchi Music Awards and GIMA. Apart from being a singer she is also an entrepreneur heading many successful ventures. In this exclusive interview with Delhiites magazine she opens up about her journey, her future projects and much more.
You belong to a family that is at the helm of India’s music empire. Did you always know that you wanted to be a singer or is that something that you realized after growing up ?
I was bent towards music since childhood. Regardless of the fact that one comes from such a family I think you need to have that love and passion for a certain craft and for me it was music since forever. Even when I was a child, I remember, I used to participate in a lot of singing competitions and I’d love to sing right from the start. I didn’t know at that point that I’d grow up to be a singer. It’s just that you know that you like to do something and you like to do that all the time. So as a child when my father used to see me hum a lot of songs, he thought that I have a good voice. But he felt it should be trained and anyone who wants to go into the world of singing professionally should have a certain amount of training. I was given that training right from the age of six. My dad asked me if I would like to join an academy to learn music and I was very excited about it. So I joined Suresh Wadkar’s Music Academy at a very young age and I used to go there after school. I think that was my passion and eventually my passion became my profession. That’s how I am here churning songs for you all to enjoy.
You were into devotional music early on in your career and then moved to mainstream Hindi songs. What prompted you to make that shift ?
To be honest there was no shift. I didn’t instantly start from a film song or didn’t come up with a single. It was a gradual process for me. I did a lot of remixes that were happening in the early 2000’s. I sang a lot of devotional bhajans which I still do. I also did many covers and kept practicing. Then I met Himesh Reshammiya in 2005 and that’s where he heard me and said that he wanted to try me out for a film song. So the journey has been very gradual and it’s been a very enriching experience for me all these years. It’s not like I made a switch but it’s just that I started Bollywood songs and did not stop doing devotional music. It’s just that, as we see, certain genres of music are more widely accepted and devotional music is heard only by a select audience whereas Bollywood has a much wider reach.
You’ve been happily married for a few years now. How did you meet your husband for the first time ?
I feel that getting the right partner in your life is very important. Touch wood, I think that I am blessed to have found Hitesh as my life partner. We have had a love marriage and I met him at a common friend’s wedding. First we became friends and then started seeing each other. Within one year we got married. We got married exactly a year from the day we first met so it was one year of courtship. I would say that it is God’s grace that I am very happy in the space I am in currently.
Which is the one song that you sang that is the closest to your heart ?
I get very attached to everything I do. Every song is helping me in learning something new. I like to work with newer music directors. I enjoy attempting newer techniques of singing when I am rendering a different kind of song. But a song that turned out to be a turning point for my career was Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein which was a duet with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sahab and composed by Pritam da written by Irshad Kamil. I think everything about that song really worked including the film and it got me a lot of love and respect for the work I was doing. It was with that song I would say that Tulsi Kumar arrived in the industry. Even though I had started much earlier this was the song that can be defined as the turning point of my career.
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Recently T-Series became the first YouTube channel to surpass 100 million subscribers on the platform. How does that make you feel ?
It’s a great feeling. It’s headed by my brother Bhushan and a lot of work goes into it. It’s not easy to achieve those numbers. A lot of content making and investment in the kind of music to select is required. I think all those efforts have been fruitful. My father always wanted the company to go on a global platform and today we are here. We are also noted in the Guinness Book of World Records where we have the record of being the number one digital channel globally. It’s the complete team effort at T-series that has made this effort fruitful. How my brother has vested his whole interest in the label has helped get it where it is today.
When you first recorded a song in the studio how was that experience and what do you cherish the most about it ?
I made one audition CD where I recorded the track Lag Ja Gale by Lata Mangeshkarji. I was of course very raw facing the mic for the first time. At that point I didn’t know what the spacing or the right technique should be. I learned all these things over the years. Keeping this in mind I started the T-series StageWorks Academy where I ensure that students are given the complete knowledge of performing. Back when I was learning I didn’t have any exposure like this. I directly entered the studio without knowing the techniques and what is to be done. I cherish all the memories of my recordings because as I said I have grown with every song as an artist.
We also want to talk about your channel called Kids Hut on YouTube which is an edutainment channel for kids. How’s it being the creative director and the voice over artist for this particular channel? Does being a mother help in this process ?
Kids Hut is an edutainment channel for kids. So we have things like stories, nursery rhymes and content for kids that creates curiosity like the various kinds of questions that they have in their mind under the category of things you want to know. Me, being a new mother, I am very happy to be heading this channel started back in 2014. So we do a lot of stories and I do the voice overs for all the characters. I love tweaking things and taking out different voices whether it’s the voice of the animated tiger to the voice of our main characters Tia and Tofu. Ever since I have become a mom I have started understanding kids more and what I would like to play for my son. I think I would like to build this channel up creatively. When you are a mother you begin to understand what the kids of a certain age group enjoy. This channel caters to kids up till ten years of age. It’s a fun channel and we have over one million subscribers already and I am very happy to be a part of something like this.
What has changed for you ever since you became a mother ?
It’s a beautiful feeling and it can’t be compared to any other feeling in the world. When your child comes and clings to you, then that feeling is just unmatchable. People say that things change and yes honestly things do change. Ever since I have given birth to my son, I have become more of a multi-tasker and I have challenged myself even more. I push myself out for work more but at the same time I know that I have to take care of my son as well. So I have become better at managing my own life. I also believe that having a child cannot stop you from pursuing your own passion. It has to take you forward because you are so fulfilled in one aspect of your life that you want to go and achieve more things in the other aspects. I have taken work more full swing after marriage and even more full swing after my baby. When a woman is focused she can manage things and multitask. There are sometimes when I am travelling between two cities for a gig and sometimes my son travels with me. At times it does get taxing but if you want to go for it there’s nothing that can stop you.
You are donning several hats apart from being one of the most successful singers in the Bollywood industry. You are also an entrepreneur and have started the T-series StageWorks Academy and Gulshan Kumar Film & Television Institute of India (GKFTII). Could you tell us something about this project ?
The T-series StageWorks Academy and Gulshan Kumar Film and Television Institute of India television Institute of India extension (GKFTII) is an extension of my father’s dream. He used to give opportunities and provide platforms to upcoming talented individuals during his time and we as a team decided to start this academy as an extension of his dream. This academy is a one stop hub for grooming talented individuals in various fields of performing arts like singing, acting, dance, modelling, instrumental music, sound production, mixing and many more. We started these courses under the T-series StageWorks Academy. These are certificate courses and under GKFTII there are various diploma courses in the field of Film Making, Journalism, Mass Media and Communication along with diploma courses in Acting. The head branch is in Delhi NCR (Noida) and we have also extended it and are trying to take it nationwide. We have launched one institute in Guwahati and the other one in Jaipur. The entire concept of this academy is to provide the right kind of training to the people in various fields and give them not only the theoretical but also the practical knowledge. I would say one of the USPs of our academy and our institute is that we give a lot of practical exposure to the students in their respective fields.
Could you tell us about Mr. Gulshan Kumar’s biopic Mogul slated to release in 2020 ?
It’ll be a journey of how my father made it in this industry. It will be his journey from having nothing to having it all and all the way to building his empire and being called the cassette king. The personal aspects of his life will also be touched. So it’ll be a very inspirational story for all the people who still remember my father for his humanity and all the work he’s done for the people in the industry. On a personal level his spirituality and the way he was really connected to God will also be shown. All the aspects of his life will be covered. It’ll be a great inspirational story for a lot of people who watch it.
Who has played the most pivotal role in your life so far ?
My mom and my dad. Unfortunately, my dad has not been with me for over twelve years. My mom has been the strongest support of the family. She’s been the backbone of the entire family. I have a sister and a brother. It’s my mom who’s kept everything together. We’ve gone through a lot of turmoil personally in our life after I’ve lost my father. I think it’s my mom who’s kept all of us composed and kept us all going in our respective fields.
Can you also tell us a little bit about your future projects ?
The year 2020 starts with Street Dancer 3D where I have a few songs coming up that I am really excited about because this film is a very special one. To sing in a film like this is amazing. In 2020 a lot of Bollywood music will be coming your way. But I want to focus a lot on independent music. So I am working on my singles where you’ll not just hear me but also see me feature in the videos.
You have been shuffling your time between Delhi and Bombay. How does that feel and how do you manage that ?
My life has always been between the two cities ever since I was a child. I have done half of my schooling in Bombay and my college in Delhi. I have lived in Bombay for ten years. Now I am married in Delhi but I keep going back to Bombay for work. So if anyone asks me where I stay, I say, Bombay and Delhi both. Even when my dad was around we were in both the cities. It’s a one and a half hour flight and in a month some days I am in Bombay and some days I am in Delhi. But I love that. All my work happens in Bombay and when it comes to personal life and being stationed in one place that’s Delhi for me.
Who’s your favourite singer ? Lata Mangeshkar and Sonu Nigam. Internationally I really like Adele and Beyonce. Vacation spots you love ? Bora Bora and London. The most expensive purchase in your wardrobe ? My Birkin bag and my Sabyasachi bridal lehenga. Your mantra in life ? Follow your passion and make your passion your profession. Three things you never leave your home without ? My bag, my wallet and a lip balm.
