Composers Salim-Sulaiman says Gaga had a 'very positive response' to their version.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
Shortly after dropping a country-fried version of "Born This Way," Indian composers Salim-Sulaiman were approached to do a Bollywood version of the song, breathing new life into the chart-topping track and putting their own Desi seal on it.
"It was kind of difficult to start with," Sulaiman Merchant told MTV News, crediting entertainment website Desi Hits! for helping to curate the collaboration. "It's been such a big track, it's been very popular, and when you consider the style, it's very aggressive. It's got all the stuff that's required to make it a nice clubby track, so for us, the most important thing was: How do you get it into a zone where it's palpable to the Indian flavor? And the first thing we did was bring in a sitar, and that changed the flavor a little bit. We kept the aggression but changed the style and made it a little more four on the floor, a little more house."
Salim Merchant added that "we wanted to bring in an Indian sound ... and give a Sufi touch as well." He explained that after getting over some initial nerves, "It's fantastic how it all turned out. There was this little pressure because the song was #1. I guess once we put that baggage behind ... it was magical. Once we started it, everything came into place. It became a celebration."
While Gaga is a global superstar, Sulaiman said she has yet to really permeate India's pop culture. "Lady Gaga hasn't been as popular as we would like it to be over here, so this track wasn't as big before," he said. "We finished the mix, and now it's getting into the zone where it's gaining popularity. It's a great way to get eyeballs and ears onto Lady Gaga."
Has Gaga given the guys any indication of how she feels about the track? "She has liked it," Salim said. "She did mention she really loves it. When we did send her the final version, we did get a big very, very positive response. She really loved it. That's what she mentioned. I'm really happy. Finally the artist is Gaga about the song."
What do you think of the Bollywood version of "Born This Way"? Let us know in the comments!
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