Sitting by the pool of a farmhouse, this writer and her friends were talking about songs that had a soul. As if on cue, a friend hummed O Sanam, and suddenly, we slipped into a gentle silence — each of us lost in our own thoughts, but with a smile on our faces. That’s what Lucky Ali’s music does to you. It slows down the world, strips away the noise, and leaves you with that moment of peace. In 2021, when the singer resurfaced from his solitude after a video of his performance in a Goa shack went viral, his songs returned to our playlists — on loop, like a warm memory. Now, as he travels across India on the Re:Sound Lucky Ali India Tour, organised by JetAlive, mid-day sneaks in a moment with him to talk about his music, how life shapes his notes, and the day he will stop touring.
Excerpts from the interview.
You were born with the skill to entrance people with your music. How much has your life’s story contributed to your art?
I had to develop my art. Over the years, I was able to [hone it] by working with some great musicians and good people. That has been my journey.
Is there a song you have written that tells your story?
[I have worked on] a new song that is coming out soon, it’s called Majbooriyan. It [is inspired by the] lessons of life. Actually, I write all my songs based on life lessons and aspirations. There’s always an aspect of search within my songs.
When you sing for large or small crowds, what do you think people hear in your music that resonates with them so strongly?
For me, a crowd is neither large nor small. When people listen to you, singing for them [is a form of] expression. Whether it’s just one person or there are 10,000 people, the feeling [is the same].
Your fans often revisit your earlier compositions. Do you go back to them too, or do they stay forgotten as you search for new tunes?
I don’t forget my tunes. I revisit them and if I have not played a track or I’ve not performed it [in a while], we bring that track into being. We perform it with the band, like I’m doing for the tour right now.
There are murmurs about you taking a step back from touring. If you stop touring, won’t people who love your music be bereft of soul-stirring performances?
Well, I [will] do it for as long as the Creator allows me to perform my art, but I’m human and there’s a limitation that I will reach at some point, if I’ve not already reached it. I’m realistic about the fact that one day this has to stop, and it will stop. [Until then] what I want is to experience bringing people together on a platform of understanding, of love. That’s what my music is about.
You have always come across as a curious mind. What makes you curious today?
Everything makes me curious. ‘Why’ is a question that I keep asking even now. Like a child would always ask ‘Why’ or ‘What’, I still have those questions.
In a world driven by data and artificial intelligence, where do you find yourself?
I’m perfectly comfortable wherever they are. They are in their own space, and I’m in my own.
What do you think your legacy will be?
I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about it.