MUMBAI: ‘Kabira’ singer Rekha Bhardwaj, started off learning music at a very early age. Having sung, songs like ‘Namak Ishq Ka’ from the film ‘Omkara’, ‘Ghagra’ from ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ to some soulful tracks like ‘Phir Le Aya Dil’ from ‘Baarfi’, Bhardwaj has done it all. As she juggles the role of a home maker and a singer, she makes it a point to squeeze in time to follow her passion- music.  Bhardwaj also says she is also thankful to her director husband, Vishal Bhardwaj who supported her singing right from the beginning.

“Vishal and I bonded over music. Ours was a love marriage; and fortunately for me, Vishal supported by music career even after we got married. Even when he was having a tough time making his mark in the industry, he supported my music. When we became financially stable, he launched my album, so that was a start of my career,” explained the ‘Hamari Atariya Pe’ singer.

After she had her first child, motherhood and household chores took up most of her time, giving her very little time to practice music. The urge to practice music grew, and she would often feel guilty for not doing her riyaaz. “I would often sit for my riyaaz post 11 pm after I finished with my work or would wake up early before everyone could start their day. Whenever you are passionate about something, you automatically look out for ways to pursue your passion,” she explained.

Bhardwaj reveals she often does her riyaaz by singing ‘Om’ in the tune of sargam. “I was always told by my guruji to sing ‘Om’. Initially, I used to practice it without knowing the reason. After I started reading about Shivji and mythology, I found out that ‘Om’ is the sound of the universe, and singing ‘Om’ also makes you a better singer,” said ‘Kabira’ singer.

The popular Bollywood singer, who was part of this year’s MTV Coke Studio, says Sufi is one of her favourite genres to sing as it talks about how people should live their lives. And as far as offering advice to upcoming musicians goes, she suggests that they should learn music and do their daily riyaaz.