I AM PROUD OF WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED: SHALMALI
Singer Shalmali shot to fame with Pareshaan from Ishaqzaade (2012), a song about a girl who goes ballistic as she falls in love for the first time. Ever since, there has been no stopping Shalmali. She went on to deliver one chartbuster after another. Six years later, she looks back at her musical journey and says, “My journey, till date, has been one that has only taught me how to keep looking ahead and making more of myself every day. I’m grateful for the opportunities that came my way and the people who made it possible. I began a career in Bollywood with Pareshaan, thanks to the amazing Amit Trivedi. Composers such as Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar, Sajid-Wajid and Sachin Jigar have all been instrumental in shaping my career. I finally fulfilled by dream of studying music in Berkeley, USA.”
For Shalmali, her biggest turning point has been a gig in Singapore before a huge audience. She shares, “I’d like to believe that exploring singing and dancing on stage, which has been a lifelong dream, has been a turning point for me. My first show, where I also choreographed the whole act, was in Singapore. I was all nerves before the show even after rehearsing for months.”
Needless to say, she prefers live gigs more than playback singing. “My life revolves around live singing. It doesn’t matter if the audience is 50 or 10,000, as long as I have a stage to perform on. I’m a performer. I’m an entertainer, and that is never going to change,” she shares.
Ask her about her biggest inspiration, and she says, “My biggest inspirations have been Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars for stage performances, and Amy Winehouse and John Mayer for songwriting. I’ve only listened to English music growing up, and so, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Aerosmith and Dave Mathews Band have been my inspirations.”
The singer wants to follow their footsteps. She elaborates, “Two years back, I decided I had to start taking baby steps to reach a stage wherein I can do live shows of that production level and performance standard. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve with regard to live shows because of the team of musicians, performers and technicians that work tirelessly to make my show sound and look spectacular.” She goes on to say that she aspires to collaborate with international musical sensations, Dua Lipa and
Rosalia.
Back in the ’90s, independent songs and music albums dominated the
Hindi music scene. With the
2000s, film music saw a major surge.
But Shalmali is happy to see the trend coming back.
“It is a blessing to have non-film music making its way back. Although it’s not like it used to be, it is definitely heading in that direction. It gives opportunity for musicians to speak their minds without having to stick to a certain requirement of a film narrative. It’s a very rewarding process to be able to write and perform your own music,” she says.
Another trend dictating the Hindi music industry is recreations of popular tracks. Sharing her thoughts on the same, she says, “I have been singing with The Bartender for six years now and proudly so. The Bartender is a band curated by Mikey McCleary, that performs old Bollywood classics in a more recent jazzy context. I also just sang the remake of the old rouge song, Don’t Be Shy for the film, Bala. As long as we have enough new songs with beautiful melodies and rhythms coming, which I believe we do have, I see no harm in recreations.”
I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve with regard to live shows because of the team of musicians, performers and technicians that work tirelessly to make my show sound and look spectacular.
SHALMALI, SINGER