Jarring notes from remix singers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br /><img align="left" src="/photo/72925.cms" alt="/photo/72925.cms" border="0" />She is very unlike the dancing damsels of remix videos like <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kaanta laga </span>or <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kalio ka chaman</span>.While Shefali Jariwala and Meghna Naidu have walked away with all the glory, 30-year-old Shaswati Phukan, the voice behind the hit remixes, has been left in the dark. <br /><br />In fact, everytime she looks at the cassette cover, she feels a tinge of disappointment. There''s no mention of her on it. "I feel sad," she says. <br /><br />Like many gifted singers who are part of the remix brigade, Shaswati is waiting to break into the mainstream music scene. "A remix artist is never taken seriously," she says. <br /><br />Like Vaishali Samant (28), touted as the queen of remixes for <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Dilbar dil se pyare </span>and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Tu tu hai wahi</span>, says, "I''ve sung in movies. But till I have a name, I will have to continue singing remixes." Vaishali is also the singer of the hit album <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Aika daji ba</span>.<br /> <br />Shaswati too looks at it as a kind of stop-gap arrangement. "You might have a great voice but till you deliver original hits you don''t get much importance."<br /><br />Even the money is bad for these singers. While cassette companies make big bucks, they have to be content with meagre remunerations - a couple of thousands at the most for a song. Vaishali was paid Rs 500 for her first remix song. Though most of them are reluctant to reveal the sum, they agree that it''s "definitely not much". Besides, most videos focus on the models rather than the singers. "The dancers get all the mileage," says Zuben Garg (30) of Rama re fame.<br /><br />However, general criticism notwithstanding, most of the singers see nothing wrong with singing remixes. "Music is never bad. A lot of hard work goes into remixes. But unfortunately, the lyricists and singers fail to get the credit," says Shweta Pandit (17). Agrees elder sister Shraddha Pandit (21): "If one has the talent one will get noticed. Singing remixes, or for that matter anything else, doesn''t really matter." <br /><br />Ultimately, it all boils down to moving on. Zuben Garg, who''s done albums like <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Dance Masti </span>and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Jalwa </span>has turned to music direction to satisfy his "creative instinct". But there are moments of satisfaction too. "When I hear my songs at pubs or in the auto, I know people are listening to my voice. Then it''s a great feeling altogether," concludes Shaswati.<br /></div> </div>