The veteran frontman of LRB. Photo: Tuhin Hossain

These are busy times for Ayub Bachchu who has a solo album in the making. The veteran frontman of LRB, who has created a long list of popular tunes, recently shared his plans and ongoing projects with Shah Alam Shazu of The Daily Star:

What keeps you busy these days?
Bachchu: Stage shows always keep me busy, while I'm currently working on the background music for Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's latest movie “Television”. I'm also doing a song for the Redwan Ronny movie “Chorabali”, and another for “Ek Cup Cha”. Apart from these, I'm working on a Kolkata film for the first time.
Can you elaborate on your Kolkata project?
Bachchu: The movie, directed by Debaditya, is called “8:08 Banga Local”. I'm doing playback. I went to Kolkata to record the song, but a sore throat forced a change in plans.
How much progress have you made on LRB's next album?
Bachchu: Our next album is titled “Juddho”. We are still deciding which songs will make the final cut. We hope that the album will reach the hands of our fans on March 26.
Piracy is a major issue in the audio industry. What can be done to stop this?
Bachchu: Piracy has become a curse for the music industry. Awareness only among the musicians and industry people will not do. The audience should step up in anti-piracy efforts and unite with us. The government will also have to stand up against piracy. Then only can it be tackled.
It's been a while since the last LRB album was out…
Bachchu: We have been very busy. I also have a very busy personal life. I have my own work, along with live shows. Besides, the band sometimes likes a song, and sometimes doesn't. We are not going for a world record like recording an album in 33 hours. We want to take our time in doing so, and it is the reason behind the delay.
You're redoing some songs?
Bachchu: Yes. We have already changed six of our songs, while four previous songs will also be on this album. The change of time has also brought changes to the songs. The album title however will stay the same: “Juddho”. One of the major themes of the songs is that we want peace, not war.
Tell us about your future plans.
Bachchu: I want to redo my own compositions and the songs I recorded earlier. It's likely to be a huge project -- 15 to 20 CDs. I won't take tunes by Prince Mahmud or Shawkat; I will only work on the compositions by LRB and me.
You mentored many artistes who have made it big. Have you stopped mentoring?
Bachchu: Many newcomers have taken my help, while I've also sung for many senior artistes. But things have changed because I don't know whom I should sing for. Which label will I give my product to? Who will be in charge of marketing it? Maybe I'll sing for a talented young musician, but who will take the risk of releasing it in such a volatile market?
What is your opinion of launching new music through cell phone operators?
Bachchu: I welcome the move. It is new step towards modernisation.