Neha Bhasin: Music mafia has always existed in the industry

Ever since Amaal Mallik’s tweet, there have been many conversations around the existence of the music mafia in India. And singer Neha Bhasin says it is a reality, adding that there is a tendency of isolating the person who speaks up about it.

“From having a whole hierarchy system in place to music mafia in the industry, they all have existed in the industry for a long time. In the industry, it is all about hierarchy and about who is in power, which is sad,” says Bhasin.

The 40-year-old recalls the legal case she filed when she was denied credit on a song. “I fought a case when I was 23-year-old against music director Anand Raj Anand, and it eventually made it into law books. I won the case, but still I was not credited for the song. They didn’t give me credit despite winning the case. They just changed the singer’s voice and credited that singer in those batches. For the next five or six years, people were scared to work with me. No one came to help me. And it is just one case which happened in the music industry. Singers have to fight a long battle for the right credit and work, and there is no one there for us to motivate us,” she narrates.

The Jag Ghoomeya hitmaker lauds Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA) for signing a contract with Indian Music Industry (IMI) to safeguard the interests of musicians.

“It is a great move because yeh ladai kab se on hai. There are people who have just given up on the fight because there is a tendency to isolate them and ostracise them, till the time they find further courage to make a mark for themselves. I am an independent artist. I started my career with a big label and decided not to do that again. I have remained independent all these years. I have found my place without compromising my beliefs. It has not been easy and it is not true for all. It is all about survival of the fittest, and here survival means having courage to fight it out,” she ends.