EXCLUSIVE | 'Speed Kills Originality, Average Has Become A Norm': Sunidhi Chauhan On Today's Music
The tour, a series of live shows across major Indian cities, is being organised in association with ABP BAE and will mark her return to large-scale live performances across the country.
Celebrity playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan has delivered a candid critique of today’s fast-paced music industry, arguing that the pressure to produce at speed is dulling creativity and lowering expectations across the board.
In an exclusive interview with the ABP Network, the singer reflected on how the culture of constant output has reshaped the way music is made, often at the cost of originality and depth that once defined the industry.
Sunidhi looked back on the kind of music she grew up singing and listening to, and why it feels increasingly rare today. When asked whether she misses working with composers like Sandesh Shandilya and Sandeep Chowta, the singer broadened the conversation to the industry’s changing work culture.
“It’s not that good things don’t happen anymore, good things take time. That time does not exist today. Earlier, people spent time making and creating something. Now, because there is so much work and so many platforms, everyone wants things quickly,” she said.
According to Sunidhi, even artists who want to create something meaningful are constrained by timelines. “In that rush, the work starts sounding familiar because you have to deliver. It becomes more about delivering content than whether it is good or bad,” she added.
‘We Have Become Comfortable With Average’
Sunidhi pointed to a deeper issue - a growing comfort with mediocrity: “If a song works, people feel happy, so the problem lies elsewhere. The problem is that people have started being content with average material. Nobody is really looking forward to a good or excellent product anymore.”
With the sheer volume of music being produced, she noted that most artists are “sailing in the same boat”, doing just enough to sustain themselves. “There is no space for that drive, and even if someone has it, it gets crushed because there is so little time. Everyone has homes to run, so they do what time permits,” Sunidhi explained.
Future Expectations
When asked whether her upcoming EP (extended play) would reflect the depth and texture of earlier-era music, Sunidhi said she is not chasing a preconceived sound or trying to be deliberately different.
“Nothing like that is planned. I don’t want to do something ‘different’ just for the sake of it. But if there is a song that, after singing and hearing it, makes me feel ‘this is my song’, a non-film song I want to listen to again... I will wait for that feeling. I need to hear it at least three times,” she said.
Collaborations She Cherishes
Sunidhi also spoke about the collaborators she has enjoyed working with the most. She remembered KK, the sensational vocalist who passed away in 2022, as the singer with whom she had the most fun while working. Sunidhi also praised composer duo Salim–Sulaiman for the creative freedom they offer to the artists.
“With Salim–Sulaiman, I can do any kind of music. I may be singing for them, but the question they ask is, ‘What do you want to do?’ If that kind of space is created for an artist, they can truly fly,” she remarked.
Live On Stage: ‘I’m Home’ India Tour
Meanwhile, Sunidhi Chauhan is set to reconnect with audiences through her ‘I’m Home’ India Tour, beginning December 27. The tour, a series of live shows across major Indian cities, is being organised in association with ABP BAE and will mark her return to large-scale live performances across the country.
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