Terence Lewis shimmying his way to the mic

Terence Lewis

It was during a dance-related shoot that Terence Lewis first expressed to his director, his desire to sing in a video. A series of interactions later, he found himself collaborating with Rahul Jain, the director of Shaidayee, his debut song.

"Rahul made me hear the song. It had a nice feel and rhythm. I wanted to sing a happy song. Everyone sings sad songs on love, pertaining to heartbreak. The lyrics were beautifully written. I knew I needed to train before we went ahead, so I did so in western and Indian vocals, for 18 months. Since the development happened during the lockdown, I could make good use [of the downtime]. I learnt melodies, and how to hold a note," Lewis says, of the song that showcases him in the role of a driver who falls for his passenger. "We wanted to show a certain madness. The character knows that this girl is out of his league. But he's happy to have had love in his heart. He doesn't need her to love him back. On the first day, I turned up on set with brown hair and a beard. When the director saw me on screen, he said we couldn't roll, because my hair looked too stylish for the part. For the next hour, we had to work on making my complexion dusky, and colouring my hair black again," he says of his first taste of a project of this kind.

"Like everyone else", Lewis also believed that his singing skills were appreciable. "But the mic enhances all your flaws," he laughs. "There were portions that had to be sung in one go. I worked with Suzanne D'mello to learn voice and breath control. It was a challenging process. At times, I wasn't happy with [my singing], so I'd cancel the plan. The next day, I'd be back at it again." Up next for him is a dance number.

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