‘There are lots of people who try to copy me in their videos’
Singer Neha Kakkar speaks to Bulbul Sharma about her skyrocketing career in Hindi film music, and her journey from being a contestant on a reality show to becoming a judge in one.
Vaghani even complimented me suggesting that I should consider rapping at an international level, which was extremely humbling. Q. You have worked with a lot of singers and music directors. But how is it like teaming up with your sister Sonu and brother Tony. How different is that? A. Working with your siblings is always special. The comfort zone with them is on another level. So, working with them is like chilling and enjoying. That’s the best experience. Q. You made your mark through a reality show [ Indian Idol season 2]. How do you think reality shows, and their appeal to the audiences, have changed over the years? A. I don’t think it has changed because the excitement is still the same. In fact, in the recent show I did— Sa Re Ga Ma Pa— I was one of the judges. The show broke all records. It was the longest-running reality show ever. And for Indian Idol I got an amazing response. For Sa Re Ga Ma Pa I got an even better response. So there is no change in appeal. Q.You have not received formal training in singing. Has that ever bothered you? A. Not at all. My experience has taught me a lot. I started singing at the tender age of four and now I am in my 20s. So for almost 15 years I have been singing. From being a contestant to now being a judge in a singing reality show, you get to know what you are doing and how you are good at your work. Q. You have gained popularity with your party numbers. But do you think you are being typecast into singing within a particular genre of music for films? A. There is no typecast at all. I have also sung [the reprised version of songs] “Mile Ho Tum Humko”, “Mahi Ve” “Wajah Tum Ho” and others. I am singing more of such songs. So definitely I have not been typecast. Q. You were born and brought up in Delhi. Has the city influenced you musically? A. I definitely miss Delhi. I keep on doing a lot of music that Delhi people also love. They love Punjabi music, which I keep doing. So that’s great. Q. Starting off as a contes- tant to now being a judge in a reality singing show, and having as well given several chartbusters, how has your overall journey been? A. My journey has been great. I feel like I am living my dream. Whatever I am doing, everything is turning into gold. I never thought that from a contestant I would become a judge. Initially, I thought I would sing one or two songs for a movie, but so many songs back to back, I dint expect that. In fact, I was the only female singer in Judwaa 2 [2017]. These days it’s very difficult for a single singer to sing the songs in one movie because with so many music directors it’s likely that there will be a lot of singers. So I guess people love my voice. Q. Your selfie video created a storm when it first appeared on social media. “Vertical videos” are the latest trend and have been appreciated by the audiences. In this regard, how important do you think the aesthetics of shooting is in a video album, and how important is to continue coming up with new trends? A. I feel whatever you are showing to the audience, it should be natural. Don’t try to be fake. There are a lot of people who try to copy me in their videos, which is very sweet. Ideally everyone has their own identity. So one should try doing their own stuff on their comfort level.
“I definitely miss Delhi. I keep on doing a lot of music that Delhi people also love. They love Punjabi music, which I keep doing. So that’s great.”
Q. You have worked with the best contemporary singers and music composers in the industry. Are there any singers or composers from the yesteryear that you would have liked to work with? A. I would have loved to work with Nadeem-Shravan [music composer duo of the mid’90s]. I love their work. Q. Please talk to us about your upcoming projects? A. Lots of them, but I don’t like to discuss about them before they are out. I feel they can get jinxed. So, when the time is right I shall discuss. But I am working not only on movie songs, but also on singles.