Popular R&B artiste Akon was in town last weekend to record a song for Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film Ra.One. The American hitmaker, who also celebrated his birthday in the country, met up with Sonakshi Sinha on his brief visit here.
The actress, who was among the first Indian celebrities to meet him, played journalist and interviewed him for Zoom TV. Here's an excerpt from the interview:
Sonakshi Sinha: How does it feel to be back in India? This is your second visit.
Akon: Well I love India. It's like a second home for me. It reminds me of Africa. I love the culture and energy that this place has.
Sonakshi: What about Mumbai?
Akon: This is one of the best places in India according to me. It's very popular and it's a land of opportunities. It seems like everything opens up here. Mumbai is to India what New York City is to the USA.
'One of my goals is to act in a Bollywood film'
Sonakshi: What is your opinion about Bollywood films?
Akon: I love them! Love stories are the most incredible part of it. One of my goals is to act in a Hindi film.
Sonakshi: So a lot of international singers have been coming to India to perform, Madonna, Shakira , Bryan Adams. What do you think about Indian fans? Are they more receptive to international music than others?
Akon: Definitely. I've got a great response from people here and their love for international music is exceptional/
Sonakshi: Unlike in the US, music is an integral part of our films. What do you think about that?
Akon: It may be different from the way movies are made in the US but there's a method to it in the sense that it feels like a musical but you see cinematic elements too. In the US, it's either a musical or a film.
'I want to integrate with the Indian community'
Sonakshi: Do you plan to collaborate with more artists in India?
Akon: Actually that is one of the goals I've set for myself. I kind of want to integrate with the Indian community. Bollywood is the next step; we've been sampling Indian music forever.
Sonakshi: Lets go back a bit. What was your inspiration for your first album Trouble? Did you ever think that you would become such a huge star just after your first album?
Akon: Well, that record was the opportunity that could either improve my life or put me back in the ghettos. In other words, if I wasn't successful, I would be right back in the street, hustling.
Sonakshi: Every year your albums have been topping the charts. What are the things that inspire you to deliver hits after hits?
Akon: To me, everything musical comes from experience or something that I visually see that inspires me and I just do it. There's always something that triggers the ideas that make a song.
'It's still hard to believe that MJ is dead'
Sonakshi: You were very close to Michael Jackson when he was alive, how did you deal with the loss of such a legendary musician?
Akon: I'm still dealing with it. The funny part is that the way I'm doing it is a little different and I still don't believe it. I just feel like he's playing one of his pranks. I feel like he's still alive and he's going to pop up any minute.
Sonakshi: You just told me that you've been a struggler all your life. Have there been times that you've just wanted to give up?
Akon: Giving up was never an option for me. It's always been about trying different ways to succeed and follow whichever works for you. There were a lot of opportunities when I was starting out and I had to be sensible about making my choices.
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