Father’s Day: Shannon K reveals she didn’t add Kumar Sanu’s name to hers to avoid nepo-kid tag

Father-daughter duo, singers Kumar Sanu and Shannon K, are maestros in their respective genres of music. While Sanu is a Bollywood veteran, Shannon is steadily making a name for herself in the English music space. On Father’s Day (June 18), the two get candid about their bond, shared passion for music and of course, their views on the nepotism debate.

“Bond bahut zabardast hai hamara,” quips the 65-year-old, adding, “Shannon is very lucky for our family and I love her singing talent. Woh aise notes ga jaati hai ki main ek dam surprise reh jaata hoon. She’s very calm otherwise par jab camera ke saamne aati hai, tab she is totally a different kind of person. She’s very dedicated and sincere towards her work. Mereko bahut proud feel hota hai ki recording mein jaise hi mic par jaati hai, she turns into a different personality.”

Shannon, too, is also praise for her dad and says she not only admires her for his talent but also for his positive attitude towards life. “I’ve hardly seen him breakdown or be negative about anything. He has taught us to always value the things, and be happy with whatever work you get. He always says whether its a major project or not that big as you expected, be grateful about the opportunity,” says the 22-year-old.

As a father of a girl, one tends to be overprotective and sometimes, strict. But, Sanu doesn’t fit into that bracket, for he believes he is a “very friendly, ek dam aaj kal kja modern, cool papa”. Shannon seconds that saying, “He fits really well with the GenZ… he’s the most adventurous person in the family, a big foodie, always ready to experiment exotic cuisines.”

MY DAD, MY GURU

Kumar Sanu, for Shannon, is like a “school of music to me”. She says, “He was my first guru, so I’ve been very much inspired by him. He exactly knows what each genre and each song would sound like. He is so spontaneous and doesn’t really take much time to understand a song. He comes out of a recording session in 15-20 minutes, and the song is just done. I take that much time just to get prepared and rehearse. So, I keep learning from him.”

As a proud father, Sanu adds, “Shannon does her recordings quickly like me. I can see she’s a born artiste. Thodi shiksha mujhse le leti hai, but her talent is that she grabs quickly and implements it. I keep giving her tips to rehearse on base, and take care of her range, as English singers should have a high range.”

TELESHOPPER VS THE SMART SPENDER

We ask the father-daughter duo to spill some secrets about each other. Sanu goes first saying: “She spends money very smartly, but at home, she is very careless. Ghar aakar kapde aur joote idhar udhar fenk deti hai. In our house, kapdon ke shelf mein joote pade hote hain kayi baar.”

Shannon, on the other hand, has some interesting things to share about her dad. “No one really knows but he loves to play casino. He’s obsessed. We sometimes even hide from our mom when he goes to play,” she reveals, and laughs, “Another habit is that he loves teleshopping. When you know that the product is not even good enough, and they are just there to sell, he still gets very convinced and buys it. I often tell him to calm down.”

NO ESCAPE FROM THE NEPOTISM DEBATE

Given that both Sanu and his daughter belong to the same music industry, it’s almost inevitable to evade the nepotism debate. Shannon recollects her tryst with the phenomenon during her the initial stage of her career. “There were a lot of people who compared me to dad, and considered me as product of nepotism. I kept working quietly. I wanted to prove to those who called me a nepo kid, that I started my career in the West, and if I really wanted to use my dad’s name, I’d have started with Bollywood. That’s the main reason I’ve always titled myself as Shannon K, and not Kumar Sanu, because I wanted to create an individuality and not get this nepo kid tag.”

Sanu, however, feels the much discussed topic needs a break. “Nepotism is bogus. Agar aap apne bachhe ko padha likha ke, uske liye kuch karna chahte ho, toh isme galat kya hai? Nepotism kahan se aa gaya? I don’t bother agar koi nepotism, nepotism bolta rahega.”