With the advent of the internet and the likes
of Rahman at the helm of Indian music, it has
been ensured that their tunes reach far and wide.
This deserves special mention as it has not only
spread our music across the continents but has
even created awareness about Indian music in general.
On the flip side, it has also ended up as 'inspiration'
for other music composers. This is true in China,
where popular Singaporean singer Kelly Poon has
recorded Rahman's 'Shakalaka Baby' in her latest
album, in Mandarin. Yao Chien, the composer and
producer of the album claims his company, Ursa
Major, has sought permission from Universal music,
which takes care of the copyrights for Rahman's
works.
Kelly Poon on the other hand had stated that if
she were to take the legal route to obtain the
rights for the tune, it would have been tough
to release the album. She added: "As it is
a popular Indian song, I am just adapting the
song and introducing it in China." Kelly
might have her intentions right; just that the
law happens to take a different view. Kelly Poon,
an air stewardess turned pop singer was a runner-up
at the Project Superstar Champion 2005, a reality
competition for singers across Singapore on Channel
U, which is similar to the Indian TV show, Super
Singer. This number especially has catapulted
her to the status of singing sensation among the
Singaporean Chinese. So much for what was not
hers! As for Rahman, he wasn't available for any
comments. Guess success comes with its share of
problems, her fans aren’t complaining.
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