Shaan on music’s longevity: Smartphones have shortened public memory

Playback singer Shaan, who is gearing up for his special tribute concert Forever Kishore Shaan Se dedicated to the legendary Kishore Kumar, has shared candid thoughts on the changing lifespan of songs in today’s music industry.

Ahead of the concert at NMACC, Mumbai, on September 19, Shaan reflected on how music consumption has evolved over time. The singer noted that “bad songs” have existed in every era and will continue to be made, but emphasized that good compositions are still being created.

“I have sung close to 3,000 songs or more.

How many of my songs do you remember? Maybe 10–15% at most,” Shaan remarked.

“That’s just how it is. Some songs are filtered out, some don’t last, and that was the case before and remains true today.”

According to him, the real shift lies in how listeners consume music.

He pointed out that smartphones and social media have drastically reduced attention spans. “Public memory has become very short.

Back then, we would buy a CD and listen to six or seven tracks happily. Today, with billions of songs on your phone, people move on quickly.

Unless a song really connects deeply, it won’t last.”

He added that earlier listeners had more patience and fewer distractions, which allowed songs to leave a lasting impact.

Now, with the ease of streaming, audiences often skip through multiple tracks in minutes, limiting the scope for longevity.

Forever Kishore Shaan Se is presented by Namrata Gupta Khan and Rabbani Mustafa Khan of NR Talent and Event Management, both from the family of Shaan’s guru, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.