Nandini Deb, who made her Bollywood debut with Beparwah in Munna Michael tells SHAlINI SAKSENA that she wants to bring pop music & create a star in India
Tell us about yourself.
I am from Kolkata, a place where music in the blood of the people. This means that music is in my blood too. My mother is a singer; my great-grandmother was a Tumri singer. For me, music has always been a part of my life. It happened very naturally. I am a performer and want to relate to people through my music.
What kind of music do you want to createIJ
I think there is a big void when it comes to pop music and a pop star here in India. I have grown up watching and listening to Beyonce, Rihanna and Mariah Carey and wanted a pop star here in India. I don’t want people to go to YouTube to look for one. I want to bring in the kind of music that I like and share it with like-minded people. Bollywood is good but want to do something for the common people in India where independent music is concerned. As a musician, it is my job to bring in this music to the people.
Does a break in Bollywood make it easy to create your kind of musicIJ
Competition is good; it was always there and will remain. I just have to make my mark. But the digital space is booming and offers a lot of scope of budding singers and people like me. Singing for Bollywood doesn’t take away from you the kind of person you are. Every artist has his own stuff. So Bollywood is not the only place where one can do as an individual singer. So I am trying to bring back pop music that existed earlier.
Was it tough to break into BollywoodIJ
I think the industry needs to be a little more open to new talent. There are many who don’t just believe in giving working with known names but it is a long process. I have been here for 10 years and a long journey. For Bollywood, you need patience.
What was keeping you busyIJ
I have performed with almost all senior artists like Shaan, Sukhwinder Singh and Sonu Nigam. Performing with them taught me a lot; the kind of passion you see made me realise where I want to go.
So it is possible for a singer to do just independent musicIJ
Definitely. The kind of money that some singers are making on YouTube is crazy; may be more than they would as playback singers in Bollywood. Why should a singer constrict himselfIJ Since there is so much out there. But being part of Bollywood brings in immense respect from others. So it helps.
What about singing the Malaysian National AnthemIJ
It just happened randomly. I was walking with music director Monty Sharma. He was looking for singers for voiceover. I just happened to be in the correct place.
Other projects.
I am looking forward to an October release of a song for a movie starring Sharman Joshi. It is a fun party song.