Yasser Desai started singing at an early age but never thought that one day he will become a celebrated playback singer, who will be recognized for his unique style and voice quality. As a firm believer of destiny, he prefers to work hard, eat, and sleep well and says, “I can’t plan, whatever is in destiny, it will happen, so why worry?” From working in a research lab to creating soul-touching tracks at the recording studio, Yasser has come a long way. In conversation with TMM, he talks about this journey, inspiration, and why he thinks that the judges of singing reality shows have a bigger role to play in the world of the music industry.

When did singing happen to you?
I started singing at the age of 10. My grandmother used to ask me to sing ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ and slowly I started loving singing. Later, when I was working for a research lab and was doing a couple of singing projects, someone from the music industry heard me and I got a chance to audition for playback singing and soon a couple of my songs were locked and since then, there has been no looking back.

Your Instagram profile reads, “Gaana gaata Hoon, khaana khaata Hoon, khub sota Hoon!”. So how is Yaseer as a person?
I am a guy next door, who loves to create a balance between earning his livelihood, eat good food, and sleep well to stay energetic. However, due to my hectic work life, my sleep cycle is a bit weird these days, otherwise, I am exactly what my Instagram bio says. Also, I love to play football, read books, and spend time with family and friends.

Tell us about your first professional singing assignment. What was it and how was the experience?
My first professional project was for a flick called Beiimaan Love and the song was ‘Main Aadhoora’, featuring Rajneesh Duggal and Sunny Leone. It was an exciting, intense, and happy moment because for the first time I stepped into a recording studio and was recording with a microphone. As a singer, it was a dream come true and I can never forget the mixed emotions with which I did that project.

Your mixtape Dil hai ki manta nahi…has something magical about it. Share the experience of recording this song.
Over a period of time, I have realized that when you work effortlessly, it reflects in the final product and this mixtape of Dil hai ki manta nahi mashed up with Nazar ke samne jiagr ke pass is the best instance of it. We decided to record it very casually and it went so smooth that we didn’t even realize that when it was wrapped up. I try to follow this work philosophy in all my projects so that the singing looks natural and makes it easy for the listeners to connect with the feel and lyrics of the song.

Recently, a singer quoted that playback singing doesn’t give sufficient money to singers, rather live shows help them survive. What do you have to say about it?
I think it’s very subjective and it differs from one artist to another. While I agree with the fact that the major chunk of money comes from live shows, but if we look at the current scenario, no live shows are happening for the last two years, and still all of us are working and making money. And in my case, I am earning more than enough through playback singing!

Every singer has an inspiration and a guiding force. Who inspires you the most?
I don’t get inspired by people, but by the story of surroundings. When I heard the story of Lady Gaga, I was highly inspired by her journey. Apart from that, Jagjit Singh and Sonu Nigam, their journey in the industry has inspired me a lot and made me understand that there is nothing unachievable. Also, I am very much inspired by my father’s story and journey and how he has achieved it all in his life. I hope to follow his footprints and make all my dreams come true.

What do you think of singing reality shows? Are they really fruitful for the industry?
Reality shows are a different ball game. While they surely pour in new talents in the industry, but the moment it becomes a TRP game, the soul of the show is diluted and then it comes complicated. Also, I feel that it’s the responsibility of the judges who promise these young talents to give work, they should stick to it and make these talents learn the mechanism of playback singing and live singing. From my experience, in these shows, the young talents sing songs that are already there in the market and have set a benchmark. But when it comes to playback singing and you get a new track, it becomes your responsibility as a singer to add soul to that song, and this is something one can learn, only when he/she gets a chance to sing.

What are your future plans in the industry?
I am a firm believer of destiny and this quality I have inherited from my mother. This might sound strange, but I didn’t enter this industry with a plan, I feel I was destined to be a playback singer, and I was interested in doing it, so it happened. Similarly, whatever has to happen, it will happen, I can’t plan. If I will be destined to do music videos or even films, all of it will fall in place and the universe will make it happen. All I know is, work hard and stay happy.