Neha Kakkar, the voice behind london Thumakda, gets talking on her musical roots with Unnati Joshi
There are some people who move into your hearts and turn it into fondant. She’s of that series. Young, bubbly, chirpy and has the nation going crazy with her songs, singer Neha Kakkar needs little introduction.
She had her first brush with fame in 2006 with Indian Idol and now she is all set to judge Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, li’l champs. From being a contestant on a reality show to judging one, she chose to define her journey in the industry as a mix of hard work and luck. “I was not expecting to be a judge so early but since it has come my way, I welcomed it with open arms. I am really thankful to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for making me the judge of the show. It means a lot to me. When I started singing, I always thought that no matter what I have to make it big and my dream came true after a lot of hard work. But I still think that I have a long way to go. I think I am really lucky to have the blessings of my family and fans,” she told us.
At the tender age of four she had her mind made up — she was going to be a singer. Not many know that Neha started her music career with bhajans and aartis. “I always wanted to be a singer. I used to sing at mata ki chowkis and other religious events. A lot of my self-confidence was shaped during those days.”
With over ten million followers, Neha has a very strong social media presence. She claims to have introduced the selfie video in India. “Selfie photos were a craze then, one day I thought, why not try something differentIJ I wanted people to know who I was — Neha Kakkar, the singer. That time I didn’t have money to spend on a proper music video, so I thought of trying it,” she said.
Today, Neha is regarded as a volcano of talent who can lift any song with her melodious voice and expression. Neha believes that her tone has a bit of her character in it. “All the songs that I have sung have my character in it. I am very fun loving. So, I definitely put my personality in every song,” she said with a wide smile.
The ‘selfie queen’ refers to her fans as ‘Nehearts’. Explaining the term, she said, “Since I love my fans I feel really close to them. If I read their comments, I make sure that I reply. Of course I can’t go online every time but whenever I see that they are expecting a reply, I immediately reply. Fans don’t really expect anything, they just love you and I love them back. They are in my heart, so I call them Neheart (Neha’s heart).”
Neha told us that her family has played a big role in her music career. “My parents shifted from Rishikesh to Delhi and from Delhi to Mumbai for us. I owe them so much. My sister Sonu and my brother Tony have taught me a lot. Whatever I am today is because of my family.”
Soon Neha will appear as a coach on the popular children singing reality show, about that she said, “I’m excited to be associated with this platform. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has always presented talent across India a window of opportunity to learn, train under the guidance of the finest experts in the industry, mature and evolve as performers and above all, has paved the way to a career in playback for countless talented singers. I have followed the previous seasons of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa li'l Champs religiously and I am well aware of the calibre that makes the cut. The auditions for this season have already commenced and the response is overwhelming. I hope the auditions in Delhi (January 7) draw the best of the city’s talent. I am really looking forward to judge the show and will certainly try to mentor the contestants in the best possible manner.”