Singer Nikhita Gandhi traded dentistry for a microphone and never looked back. With her soulful voice and infectious energy, she has captured the hearts of music lovers. Deccan Chronicle caught up with this rising star for an exclusive interview.
Excerpts.
How do you prepare for concerts?
Well, two most important things—One is I try my hardest to make it to sound check unless the timings are not in the favor of making it in time for the show and also getting in a decent workout on the day of the show. I try to make sure it happens without fail during concerts.
How did the audience respond to your setlist at your recent concert at Bhubaneshwar?
I did two shows—One was a college show, and then a few days later I did a corporate event. Both were fabulous. Actually, both felt like concerts because they were so well received.
I performed Zara Zara, the latest drop that happened with Saregama. And people were singing along and cheering. And I just love that feeling of the audience singing and screaming and just being one with the artist. I think there’s no bigger feeling and better feeling.
Are you exploring any new genres of entertaining or experimenting with different sounds in your upcoming work?
Yes, I am currently working on a duo with Shashwat Singh and we just shot our first music video, which is in the post production process right now. I am very excited to share the music that we are going to be doing through that because it’s a little different from the mainstream stuff that I have been doing.
Looking back, what inspired you to transition from dentistry to music? Do you have any regrets?
No regrets.And I think the transition was very organic. It’s not like I chose to make a conscious decision to do music. I think it just kept becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life and led me to where I am today.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences? How have they shaped your style?
Oh, so many influences—right from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to Ali Shaker and Boney M. I have grown up listening to these artists on my grandparents LPs. So many influences in Hindustani classical as well, because that’s what I have trained in growing up. Right up to all the influences who are my contemporaries, people younger than me and much older than me. So I honestly get motivated by so many people, not necessarily one specific kind of music.
How do you stay motivated and focused on your goal?
Honestly, I don’t focus on the pressures of the music industry. I feel that life has given me this amazing opportunity to pursue music, something I didn’t think I would be doing to begin with. So I really think that itself is the biggest motivation for me, that life has taken me in this direction. And that’s what really inspires me every day to be more and more dedicated to music.
How do you prioritize self-care and maintain your vocal health?
I think the best way to maintain vocal health is a good night’s sleep. So if there are days where we are traveling back to back and sleep is scarce, it’s almost like domestic jet lag. I come back and sleep for 10 hours a day. I also sleep whenever I do get the time, because I know how crucial good sleep is. And that obviously extends to vocal health. It’s not always easy to eat on time. So I think sleep for me is my number one priority.
What role do you think social media plays in an artist’s career?
Social media has become a very important tool in an artist’s life right now, fortunately or unfortunately. I think the best thing to do is to embrace it and to make the best of it, because there’s so much you can do with social media to make your music reach the people. I think it’s amazing for people who don’t have any sort of connect with labels and stuff like that.
I think for upcoming musicians, it’s so amazing that you can directly relate to your audience, connect with your audience.
Would you consider exploring acting or other creative avenues beyond music?
I absolutely would. I love performing arts. My first love has been dancing. So I think performing and acting, emoting is a big part of my growing up as an artist as well, because I think that being expressive and emoting has been something that I have related to, even more than music. And I would love to explore more of that.
