When Sonu Nigam offended Pritam by comparing him with A. R. Rahman

Sonu Nigam, the Golden Singer, has charmed the audience with his mellifluous voice over many decades. Recently, he revealed his experiences of working with the talented composers of the industry, A. R. Rahman, and Pritam. The contrast between their approach to composing music compelled Nigam to express his thoughts to Pritam, which led to him getting offended.
In an interview with O2 India, Sonu Nigam disclosed that Academy Award recipient, A. R. Rahman gives singers complete ‘liberty’, with minimal interference, while National Award recipient, Pritam gets involved deeply with the minute details, and in the nitty-gritty. He recalled the time when Pritam debuted in the music industry in a duo, Jeet-Pritam, and he discovered Pritam’s distinct style of working, where Nigam was singing a song for them called ‘Tere Liye’ and called him out.
The ‘Mere Haath Mein’ singer expressed, “AR Rahman gives you so much liberty. You don’t feel like you are singing in a high-pressure environment.” Nigam continued, “Pritam comes from a different school of thought. He goes into the nitty-gritty, and he isn’t wrong. Everyone has their own style. I remember telling Pritam that you are just the opposite of A.R. Rahman. I told him that Rahman is such a renowned composer and he does not bother anyone, and you are just splitting hairs. He was perhaps offended by this then but I said what I was experiencing”
The singer mentioned that Rahman goes along with the artists, and validates by saying “Okay, done.” He added, “Every singer will tell you that Rahman does not bother any singer. That’s his special quality.”
Sonu Nigam and A. R. Rahman have collaborated multiple times, giving all-time favourites to the audience. Their notable alliances are ‘Satrangi Re’, and the title track of ‘Saathiya’, among many more. While Pritam has worked with Nigam for songs like ‘Allah Maaf Kare’, and ‘Tere Bin’.