Like a free-flowing verse encapsulates the journey of life, the travails of the heart, the seeker's nomadic treks and continental sojourns, Lucky Ali's music is a tuneful travelogue in search of the eternal, something soulful, something elusive that escapes the common eye in the daily drill of life.
Quite the reflective man, he pauses at the nuances, those meaningful moments in life when you internalize a stray nugget of wisdom on that unfamiliar bend in the road to self-discovery.
Lucky remains a 'Struggler' now reckoning something hard won, soaking in experiences and trying every hat on the counter yet clueless and at large strumming tunes on his guitar that spring from his heart.
Nothing profound about his music but what is of consequence is that it speaks with a most miraculous organ of a truth that each must arrive on his own.
Lucky's 'wanderlust' is telling in all his three chart-busting albums - 'Sunoh (which sold more than 4,00,000 copies), 'Sifar' and 'Aks'.
His pal Mahesh Mathai who has done his videos has endowed a fervent life to all his dreamscapes casting a spell and weaving the desired magic. Buddy Syed Aslam has set his compositions to poetry, while brother-in-law Mike McLeary has produced and arranged the music to create that special sound.
Play-back singing in films has only added to his high volt success as his two numbers in 'Kaho Na Pyar Hai' - Ek Pal Ka Jeena and Kyon Chalti Hai Pawan had sold a whopping 50,00,000 units at last count.
A September child, born on the 19 of the month Lucky was actually named Maqsood Mehmood Ali by Dad Mehmood.
When he was just 13 his second Mom presented him a guitar and we believe that's how it all began - His Music, but not on a happy note.
Guess what his very first composition was called ?
It was a 3-chord lament 'Nobody Loves Me' !
Lucky just ''walked into music, '' as he confided - '' You have to do it yourself. You can't expect things to just fall into your lap. Do something to the best of your ability. If it feels right in your heart, it must be good. I felt that if music is divine why wouldn't there be a market for it. ''
So how does he qualify his music ? '' My music is 'Everybody's Music'. I don't belong to any particular genre. But I don't understand what pop music actually is. There should be no categories. Everybody should express himself or herself in a way they feel best. I am doing what makes me feel good.''
Perhaps that is what kept him afloat, this 'feel good music' when his life was imploding.
Lucky had a particularly unhappy childhood as his parents divorced when he was just a toddler and he was packed off to a Catholic boarding school in Mussoorie at the tender age of two-and-a-half years old !
Ever since he's never had anything steady under his feet. The ground beneath always shook and kept him on the move call it fate, circumstance, a habit or a need.
Lucky switched schools from Mussoorie to Bombay to Bangalore (where he moved in with his family) and finally left India for the States.
As he wryly remarked - '' The concept of home and family was not for me. I had to leave ... ''
He had a brief lather with films which was 'natural' being the son of his famous father and actress mother, nephew of legendary actress and poetess Meena Kumari and Grandson of India's first choreographer !
But his fling with the movies was an 'Arty affair'. Which later proved to be a loaded dice as the 'Arty' tag stuck and he was kept out of the Big Picture.
So he packed is bags and was off on his sojourns again !
The guy obviously loves the outdoors and even more to soil his hands in the thick of things. Here's a roster of the multifarious things he's dabbled in before he returned to first love music - Farming, Horse-breeding, Carpet-cleaning, working at an Oilrig in Pondicherry , a website dedicated to Lucky Ali revealed.
At 42, life has come full circle touched by dizzying success though belated and just married for the second time. His new bride is named Inaya.
About his future, Lucky says - '' Futures are built on experiences of the past. What is important to me is the 'now', because dwelling in the past or thinking about the future is as futile as the other. If the 'now' is uncomplicated , the future will take care of itself. ''
Like a free-flowing verse encapsulates the journey of life, the travails of the heart, the seeker's nomadic treks and continental sojourns, Lucky Ali's music is a tuneful travelogue in search of the eternal, something soulful, something elusive that escapes the common eye in the daily drill of life. 