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Shannon K on remaking Jimmy Jimmy, and her father Kumar Sanu’s advice: He’s particular about my Hindi pronunciations

ByMimansa Shekhar
Feb 24, 2024 07:57 PM IST

Shannon K is remaking Bappi Lahiri’s hit ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ from the movie Disco Dancer (1982). She is collaborating with Lahiri's son Bappa Lahiri for the same.

Actor-singer Shannon K will love to recreate the song Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye sung by her father Kumar Sanu. “It’s close to everybody’s heart, so I won’t butcher it. I’ll really work on it if I ever decide to remake it,” Shannon told us. She called her father her “first guru” who introduced her to music.

Shannon K opens up about her singing career and whether she'd ever wish to do Bollywood playback.(Instagran/@shannonksinger)
Shannon K opens up about her singing career and whether she'd ever wish to do Bollywood playback.(Instagran/@shannonksinger)

The 22-year-old is currently excited to remake legendary musician Bappi Lahiri’s hit Jimmy Jimmy from the movie Disco Dancer (1982). She is collaborating with Lahiri’s son Bappa for the track, which originally starred Mithun Chakraborty.

“I feel very fortunate to sing this iconic song, as it’s from the 80s and today’s generation needs to know how music back then was so ahead of its time, thanks to the genius creatives such as Bappi uncle.,” Shannon tells us.

While Shannon accepts she’s nervous about the remake, she said, “We [she and Bappa] were quite nervous since it was a huge risk. We knew that, therefore we made sure to keep its original soul as it is, with some minor changes, but still keeping true to its core.”

Shannon K with Bappi Lahiri during one of their last meetings before his demise in 2022.
Shannon K with Bappi Lahiri during one of their last meetings before his demise in 2022.

Shannon recalls her memories about her “Bappi uncle”. She revisits speaking to him about this remake at his birthday party. “I remember being at Bappi uncle’s birthday celebration right before his demise. We spoke about so many things. It was such a great feeling and experience to know so much about the music and the industry and everything. He wanted me to sing one of his songs and I was really looking forward to this collaboration. Unfortunately, we lost him so soon, but I wanted to still give him a tribute through this remake,” she shares.

“The only thing that I remember is that he kept his hand on my head and blessed me. And that moment, I will always cherish. It was truly very special,” Shannon adds.

Shannon is an American-Indian artiste, who won several music awards and acted in some movies. She credits father Sanu for giving her freedom, and adds that he’s particular about her Hindi pronunciations during singing. “He says why am I sounding so western when it’s a Hindi song?” Shannon says with a laugh.

Shannon K with her father and singing icon Kumar Sanu.
Shannon K with her father and singing icon Kumar Sanu.

Sanu encourages her to “stick to the original and never sing in auto tune”. We’ve seen how Sanu carries a fun personality. But, she advices him to mask certain things in public. “But dad being dad, he doesn’t listen and [instead] teaches me how to be an extrovert,” she states.

So would a playback career in Bollywood be a challenge, considering Shannon grew up outside India? Shannon regrets she couldn’t learn Indian classical music. But on a parting note, she opined - “As much as I would love to work full time in Bollywood, I do have to tap back into US. I’ll have to balance both the worlds.”

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