Lucky Ali, 90s Indipop sensation says he is ready to retire

Lucky Ali. The name itself brings fond memories of the 90s for those who have grown up listening to his Indipop numbers. And now, he might actually be mulling to retire from the musical scene.

In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, the 63-year-old singer confessed that he has been thinking of retirement for a long time and considers it a responsibility towards the younger generation.

“I have been thinking of it (retiring) for a long time. I think of it as more of a responsibility than anything else. When my kids started their music label, I thought I was on my way out. I was prepared for it,” Lucky Ali told HT.

The singer is set to release his single Intezaar on April 6 and has a few more lined up in the next few months. The song penned by IP Singh has been composed by Mikey McCleary.

Lucky Ali says he didn’t like the initial premise of the song, which alluded to the hope of someone’s return.

“I was like what if I don’t want to come back? So I called IP and told him that it has to be about higher love, and that it is much about ‘intezaar’ (wait) as much it is about ‘tamanna’ (desire). He then came up with the right lyrics and I think his final lines, explained to me that he understood what I wanted from the words of the song,” the singer told HT.

Incidentally, one of his famous singles of the 90s ‘Anjani Raahon Mein’ captured a young man’s pining for loved ones and desire to return home.

Born to famous Bollywood comedian Mehmood Ali, Lucky Ali rose to fame with his debut album Sunoh, which won him a host of awards including the Best Pop Male Vocalist at the 1996 Screen Awards and the Channel V Viewers Choice Award in 1997. His songs such as ‘O Sanam’ from Sunoh, single ‘Anjaani Rahoo Mein,’ ‘Ek Pal Ka Jeena’ from Hritik Roshan-starrer Kaho Na Pyaar Hai and ‘Aaa Bhi Jaa’ from the film Sur are classics that still figure in the playlist of lovers of Indipop. His last album Lemalla in 2019 was a collaborative effort with Israeli musician Eliezer Cohen Botzer.

Lucky Ali, who rarely lends his voice to films these days, has kept himself busy touring the world for concerts. He, however, says the pandemic helped him take a break from the fatigue that being constantly on the road can cause.

“I was like ‘Chalo, holiday’,” a chuckling Lucky Ali told HT, adding, “I was just happy for the fact that I don’t have to go anywhere. The last few years have been very tough. To be on the road constantly is not easy. You travel hundreds of miles and it takes a lot of energy from you.”

Having almost quit playback singing, the fact that retirement is on Lucky Ali’s mind is understood when he talks about the “mental and physical” toll travelling for work takes.

“You go to a completely new place. Of course, all of it is nice and comfortable. But, it’s not home. My neck hurts because of the pillow, or the bed. I can’t sleep on new beds. So, [because of] all of these things, I think it (the wish to retire) is happening,” he says.