Q. What is playing on your I-Pod these days?
A. I am listening to a lot of the 'Om Shanti Om' soundtrack. I specifically love the song I have sung – 'Deewangi Deewangi'.

Q. What type of music do you like, and what irritates you?
A. I have sung all kinds of songs, from 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak', to 'Om Shanti Om'. I particularly like songs in which both the lyrics and the tune are good. If the singer is also good, then that becomes the icing on the cake.

And music never irritates, whatever the genre, but I have a dislike for songs where everything is wrong – the lyrics, the tune, the singer – and in which there is no sweetness. These kind of songs become popular, for some reason, and I wonder why. Music should not only soothe the ears, but the mind as well.

Q. Amongst the recent releases, 'Om Shanti Om', 'Saawariya', 'Jab We Met', and 'Goal', which one has the best music?
A. I really like the music of 'Om Shanti Om'. The soundtrack has great songs, and great music. I am not saying the music is different, or the songs are unique, but it is soothing music. And I am definitely not saying this because the movie is a hit.

I had told Vishal-Shekhar much before the music release that the songs were going to become a hit of the year. Co-incidentally, even the movie became a hit, and I was proved right.

Q. Name your five all-time favourite songs.
A. That is a difficult question. I am anyway a confused person. Well, here goes – 'Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu', 'Hui Shaam Unka Khayal Aa Gaya', 'Yeh Hain Reshmi Zulfon Ka Andhera Na Ghabraiye', 'Megha Chaaye Aadhi Raat', and 'Pehla Nasha Pehla Khumar'.

Q. Do you prefer the original over the remix?
A. The original. I do not like replicas.

Q. Name your favourite romantic song.
A. (laughs) I love the title song from 'Dil Toh Pagal Hain'.

Q. What is your opinion on the music of today? Is it better than the music of yesteryears, or worse, or the same?
A. You must have heard of the saying, 'Old is gold'. We cannot compete with the music of yesteryears.

I will not agree that present music is better, but it is not bad. People listen to both. I believe that melody is the most important factor, whatever the period. Melody is the life of music. -Rajnee Gupta