In an exclusive conversation with The Pioneer, Singer Jonita Gandhi recalls her experience collaborating with popular rapper Divine for the recently released song Sitara. She further opens up about her foray into western and Hindustani classical music, the female composer scene, the remix culture, and much more.
Tejal Sinha
Jonita Gandhi’s mellifluous, upbeat voice seeped into the hearts of people all across the globe. With numerous smash hits in her discography, the singer rose to prominence with her latest hit Arabic Kuthu from the film Beast.
She has also lent her voice to various chartbusters, like The Breakup Song, Gilehriyaan, Ye Jawaami Teri, and Dil Ka Telephone, among many others. Her latest collaboration with the talented Vivian Wilson Fernandes, aka Divine, Sitara, has left everyone speechless. This has been her second collab with the rapper after Bach Ke Rehna, along with “Issh Boy” Badshah.
With all eyes on Divine since he announced Gunehgar earlier this year, the rapper didn’t disappoint on the collaboration front. He goes global in a much bigger way across 12 tracks, inviting stars like Jadakiss, Russ (the two had recently met when Russ made his India debut in Mumbai in October), singer-composer Jonita Gandhi, producer Hit-Boy, Albanian rapper Noizy, hip-hop artist Armani White, and Punjabi star Wazir Patar.
Talking about the recent collab, the Top Tucker singer says, “I met Divine for the first time during our collaboration for Bach Ke Rehna, after which we shared a cover for Rolling Stone Magazine. We both have been following each other’s work for a long time, and we were excited to collaborate on something independent. So after getting into the studio together for the first time, we thought we should work on something for his third album. The whole process of creating Sitara was a great experience.”
Ever since the track was announced, fans of both Divine and Jonita have been waiting for the track. And the wait was surely worth it. Being overwhelmed with the response, she says, “As a fan of his music, I know that a lot of people are always anticipating his next drop. I feel Sitara is making people feel nostalgic and reminding them of a familiar sound that they like. When we were working on the track, we both felt that this would be a really strong song that people would like because of how catchy it is, so I’m really happy people are showing it so much love.”
The Ma Ma Mahesha singer, though not formally, has been trained in both western and Hindustani classical music. Given that it’s a rare combination to spot in an artist’s CV, she says, “I wasn’t formally trained in Western or Hindustani Classical, but I did pick up whatever I could along the way from teachers. I think it’s important to have as much experience as possible, and equally so to keep your eyes, ears, and mind open all the time and absorb as much as you can. You don’t know when those things will benefit you later down the road.”
At an early age, she began making YouTube covers, sometimes featuring other local musicians, including Akash Gandhi. The videos quickly went viral and led to a myriad of opportunities to perform. Her hits on YouTube began with covers of well-known Hindi film songs, such as Pani Da Rang, Tujhko Jo Paaya, Tum Hi Ho, Suhaani Raat, Yeh Honsla, and many others. And it was through YouTube itself that she rose to fame. The Deva Deva singer believes that the whole world has gone digital now, so it’s very important to be active on digital mediums if you’re trying to reach audiences.
During one of our recent interviews with the Ambarsariya singer Sona Mohapatra, who has always been one of those personalities in the music industry known for speaking her heart out, she said that women are merely add-ons to most hit songs. The issue with mainstream film music is that there are very few songs written specifically for females. So we asked the singer of Lagdi Hai Thaai if there is a shortage of female composers in the music industry. She says, “Compared to their male counterparts, I think there’s definitely a shortage. But that being said, there are a lot more female composers coming into the scene more frequently than there used to be.”
Several yesteryear singers and composers have spoken out against the remake and remix culture in recent months. With a resurgence of remakes of golden old songs or yesteryear hits, we asked Jonita how challenging it is for today’s singers to do justice to the song. “I think people are utilising melodies and lyrics they know people already know and like to create new catchy songs that are sure-shot hits. In doing this, I don’t think there’s any attempt being made to do justice to the original songs.”
With the independent music scene seeing a surge, there have been several music artists who have made their own mark, Jonita being one of them. Not only has she been a huge name in the independent music industry, but she has also sung in films. So, we wondered: What was the best thing, according to the Nuvve Nuvve singer, about independent music and singing in films? To this, she says, “One of the things I appreciate most about the independent music space is that it allows for freedom of expression where an artist can be creative and experimental without bounds. In the film, there are so many other people outside of the music team who are involved and who have a say in how the song is made and delivered.”
On the work front, there’s a lot happening in the Punjabi space with Treehouse V.H.T. She’s also working on some English music and collaborations with other artists that she’s looking forward to releasing soon, along with film songs and regional songs ongoing in the background.
“I’m grateful to have several parallel projects going on simultaneously and can’t wait to share it all with everyone! Stay tuned to my social channels (@jonitamusic) to hear more,” signs off the Ento Enteynto singer.
