EXCLUSIVE | Ricky Kej On Why He Stays Away From Bollywood Music, Criticises Item Numbers That Objectify Women

For musician Ricky Kej, music and environmental advocacy have always been the pillars of his life, driving his mission to inspire positive global impact.

Over a two-decade career filled with hundreds of concerts, the musician has built a fanbase of millions at home and worldwide. His extensive body of work has also led to collaborations with notable international artists, including Grammy-winning drummer Stewart Copeland (founder of The Police), South African flautist Wouter Kellerman, and cellist Tina Guo, among others.

The 3x Grammy winner has kept his identity separate from the Bollywood industry, focusing mainly on creating independent albums. He wants to create music based on his sensibilities and philosophy.

“Want to focus on topics I genuinely care about”

Kej, 45, constantly gets offers to compose for mainstream movies, but that is a path he refuses to take. In an interview with Outlook, he opens up about his decision to stay away from Bollywood music.

“Many people ask me, 'Why don't you do a Bollywood film? You’ll gain popularity and can use that platform to push your independent music.' But for me, it isn't about popularity. Look at the industry right now: many composers publicly advocate for gender equality, women's rights, and social impact, yet they turn around and produce item songs that are misogynistic and objectify women. Of course, I understand they are being paid to do it—it’s just a job for them. But I don't want to treat music as merely a job. I want to create music from the heart, focused on topics I genuinely care about. That is the exact reason I stopped doing commercials.”

The Padma Shri awardee considers music an “art form that should reflect our personal sensibilities”, adding, “Think of fine artists like Vincent van Gogh. You can't imagine him painting something just because it was trendy. He dug deep into his own soul to express what was tormenting him, creating art that was deeply descriptive of his personality. When you listen to artists like Adele, Britney Spears, or Michael Jackson, their music gives you a clear sense of who they are as human beings. In contrast, mainstream music here is dominated almost entirely by love songs, party tracks, and item numbers. Interestingly, the people composing these party anthems aren't even people who party—they just do it because they are paid to.”

Authenticity over stardom

People also keep telling Kej that Bollywood offers a massive marketing budget and wider reach, and once he makes a name for myself, he can promote his own work. But according to him, the reality is different because a "musician's identity quickly becomes tied to commercial Bollywood music, not his/her true artistry”.

“Almost every Bollywood composer has released independent, personal music at some point, but hardly anyone listens to it. Ultimately, you have to make a choice: would you rather be lesser known for songs that truly define you as a person and musician, or extremely famous for work that doesn't represent you at all and that you aren't proud of? I chose the former. And it is definitely a tough choice,” he adds.

However, Kej would love to compose music for Bollywood films focused on Indian culture, social impact, or the environment—though no one has offered him such projects yet.

On dream collaborations

In the past, Kej has collaborated with Indian musicians, including Shankar Mahadevan, Salim-Sulaiman, Kailash Kher and others. He expressed his desire to work with AR Rahman. Calling the Grammy winner a “good friend,” Kej says they share a beautiful relationship, though they haven't had the opportunity to collaborate yet. “We meet quite often and talk about a whole lot of things. The last time I met him, we ended up talking for five to six hours continuously.”

Internationally, he would love to collaborate with American singer-songwriter Norah Jones.