by Subhash K Jha

It's been a year pouring with successes. And now Himesh Reshammiya enters 2006 with a bang.

He's just released his first solo album. Entitled Aap Ka Suroor it's out on the T Series label and contains 11 tracks.

So is this the beginning of a new career as a singer for the music director? Is Himesh going to focus on his singing, just like other border-defying composers who have earlier strayed into singing, like R.D. Burman, Bappi Lahiri and Anu Malik who have yodeled a number of songs in their film scores. In fact Anu recently sang most of his own songs in Deewane Huey Pagal.

"Nothing like that," Himesh reveals on a groggy Saturday morning. "I've too much work as a composer to concentrate on singing. When I sang in Aashiq Banaya Aapne I never imagined the song would be such a rage. After that I'm repeatedly asked to sing. But I'm being very selective. I'll sing for my films only when I want to," reveals Himesh. "Whatever my singing aspirations you'll hear them in Aap Ka Suroor. It's no run- of- -the- mill album."

But will Himesh break the jinx on music directors who cut their own non-film albums?

Even R.D. Burman's Pantera now considered a collector's item and ahead of its times, failed.