Vipasha Malhotra
The 24-year-old musician wins for her Hindi rendition of Runaway, which left the original artiste Aurora impressed
W“PEOPLE AREN’T ATTRACTED TO A SIMPLE COVER. THE AUDIENCE NEEDS SOMETHING UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL”
hen a song is already viral on Instagram, how do you recreate it and make your version trend? It seems 24-year-old Vipasha Malhotra has the answer because she rendered Norwegian singer Aurora’s Runaway in Hindi, which garnered 20 million views and an invitation from Aurora herself to sing the Hindi version live on Instagram this June.
“The experience was special because she genuinely seemed interested in the conversation. It just flowed and she loved my interpretation of the song about being stuck during the pandemic,” says Vipasha, who is a full-time musician and a digital content creator.
What connected people to the version titled Bhaagi Mein Jahaan Se, as Aurora herself agreed after listening to the translation of Vipasha’s rendition, was the context. Vipasha’s version said what most of us have felt through the past year and a half.
“In India, many people don’t connect with English songs,” says the 24-yearold. “That’s not necessarily because of the language, sometimes it is also the accent.”
Vipasha has often experimented with genres and languages, singing Hindi covers of English songs. Her Hindi cover of Sia’s Cheap Thrills titled
Sasti Masti was a hit nearly
five years ago. “I’ve always done a variety of stuff from funny, sarcastic and meme songs on my Instagram and other social media platforms. One may call it strategy as I’ve been trying to grow my channel organically, but I’ve realised that people aren’t attracted to a simple cover. The audience needs something unique and original,” she adds.
But she has received several brickbats along with the bouquets. “There’s also been feedback saying my renditions seem forced. But I believe I’m only giving the songs my own twist,” she shrugs.
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