Leslee Lewis on returning to playback singing in Hindi films after 26 years with ‘Zor Ka Dhakka’, “It’s exciting to be back, whole track is so cool”; also says he has been putting “zero efforts” to stay relevant for 30 years 26 : Bollywood News

For Leslee Lewis, it is all about being himself. He returns to playback with the song after a breathtakingly long gap of 26 years!

Leslee Lewis on returning to playback singing in Hindi films after 26 years with ‘Zor Ka Dhakka’, “It’s exciting to be back, whole track is so cool”; also says he has been putting “zero efforts” to stay relevant for 30 yearsExplained Leslee, “It was in 2000 that I composed and sang along with Hariharan the song, ‘Dekho 2000 Zamana Aa Gaya’ for Mela. It is probably the only millennium song. Now, all of 26 years later, I am singing for my old friend and wonderful human being Raju Singh for the movie, Zor. That’s the title-track called ‘Zor Ka Dhakka’. There are other voices too, as the song also has dialogues and montages from the film, but I am the lead singer.”

Leslee’s father, the legendary late choreographer P.L. Raj had once told his son that he would never make it big if he did not make music connected with films. And here he is now, coming back after over a quarter of a century! How does he feel about this?

He smiled at his father’s remark made in the late 1990s and added, “It’s exciting to be back in Hindi films! Firstly, I love Raju Singh’s music as he is a great composer. I love him as a person as he is a fantastic human being. We used to play together as guitarists for many composers about 30 to 35 years ago. I am just privileged that he remembered me for this title-track. The way he has decided the placement of various voices is a great job he has done. And the whole track (hums the opening words of the song) is so cool. I am particularly elated that I am singing in Hindi cinema after such a long time!”

Has he not sung in regional films as well? “I have sung one of the biggest hits in Tamil, called ‘Kannum Kannum Nokia’ under Harrys Jairaj in 2005,” he replied. “I have also composed for the Tamil films Modhi Vilayadu and Chikku Bukku.”

But outside film songs, Leslee has been having a glorious streak now for over three decades, with his latest song released last month on his channel, named “Leslee Lewis Official”, which has over 40,000 followers. Rock, Pop, Remixes, Club, Fusion—there is little that he has not done with success over the years in independent music.

Leslee’s highs have been phenomenal. He introduced Band of Boys in their breakout album. He introduced singer KK in the album, Pal. His landmark album was Colonial Cousins, a classic and genuine fusion album with Hariharan. Alisha Chinoy’s pop debut, Bombay Girls, Suneeta Rao’s Paree, and above all, Jaanam Samjha Karo with Asha Bhosle include his other work. Another feather in his cap was starting Coke Studio in India.

“As a singer, though, I have only sung in Colonial Cousins,” he says. “In the rest, I have been a composer only.”

Leslee is gung-ho about the fact that he is releasing a new song every two or three months. “Aage to jaana hi hai, na!” he said. “It’s like you must be writing new articles, not just revisiting your old ones! You have to be relevant today, right? But on my channel now, I am singer, composer and lyricist as well!” he informed. And Leslee also continues to do his live concerts all over the world.

I asked the big secret of how he has managed to remain relevant for over 30 years. “Zero effort!” he laughed. “I am just being me, Leslee Lewis! And that is why 30 years on, you are still singing KK’s ‘Yaaron Dosti’. In 1991, the album Paree was released, but even in 2025, every dandia celebration is playing the track, ‘Paree Hoon Main’! So it’s not about me trying to be relevant! I am lucky that every generation finds me relevant! And I think that is the secret everyone needs to follow! If you want to be a good and genuine artiste, you have to remain yourself.” He added, “People are always trying to please somebody by not being themselves, and that’s when they lose out!”

He however stresses on the fact that modern instruments and modern computer technology must be used as the music of the earlier eras sounds retro. He said, “But that also sounds good, which is why they are re-creating old songs with new sound. What are they doing? They are keeping their melodies, because those melodies were great, but they musically redecorate the songs with new sound. So the content remains the same, but the packaging changes. If you change the melody, then the song is lost!”

Speaking of melodies, Leslee did a solo Hindi film as composer, Apna Aasmaan. Why did he not do more work in that arena?

“I am open to doing movies, but I have to do them my way!” he replied. “I have to be me. I can’t be following instructions like copy this, use this style and so on. I am absolutely willing to work with new directors, new music producers—there is so much to explore. I am very open to collaborate with new artistes. I am open to change my music if someone does not like it, but in my way! I want to work with the youngsters, but they must decide that they want to work with me!”

As a musician whose dad was into choreography, what is the best tip or advice he has ever received from him? “I don’t think there is any specific tip. But I have learnt his work ethic from him. I have imbibed his professionalism. Do what you have to do from your heart and to the best of your ability. Or don’t do it!”

He recalled a valued memory of his illustrious father: “When I did Colonial Cousins, he grew his hair long for the first time and tied a ponytail, signalling his acceptance that I had made it minus films!”

Also Read: Yash Chopra Foundation launches ‘Saathi Program 2026’ to support film workers with monthly aid, healthcare and education benefits