- 6/16/2025
Mumbai: During an exclusive conversation with Playback Singer Jonita Gandhi, where she discussed her music career and industry insights. She shared the story behind her track ‘Beparwai’ and described her vocal texture. Jonita credited collaborations with A.R. Rahman and Pritam for shaping her craft. Jonita also weighed in on the democratization of music through streaming, the rise of indie pop, and the growth of India's live music scene. Her experiences offer a glimpse into the evolving music industry and her artistic journey, showcasing her passion and adaptability.
#JonitaGandhi #A.R.Rahman #Pritam #Canadiansinger #Collaboration #ExclusiveConversation #Beparwai #Trending #BollywoodNews #BollywoodGossips #BollywoodUpdates #BollywoodNews #Bollywood #Bollywoodcelebrity #BollywoodHindiNews #IANS
#JonitaGandhi #A.R.Rahman #Pritam #Canadiansinger #Collaboration #ExclusiveConversation #Beparwai #Trending #BollywoodNews #BollywoodGossips #BollywoodUpdates #BollywoodNews #Bollywood #Bollywoodcelebrity #BollywoodHindiNews #IANS
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Hello Junidha, welcome to VINAS.
00:02First of all, congratulations for Paper Y that's about to release.
00:06I would start off with the song, if you could help me, how the song was conceived,
00:10and what were your additions from your end, the way you decided to pitch the song a certain texture in your vocals.
00:17How was it all done?
00:19It was great. I mean, it was a song that was conceived in a session in Toronto.
00:24I was working with Mittika and Janssen in the studio.
00:28And I think I was in a mood that day where I felt a little cynical, I would say, about the world
00:36and how sometimes we get carried away with other people's opinions of us.
00:40And sometimes we feel like we want to rise above that and kind of tell everyone that I want to just be carefree now.
00:50So that's why the chorus is HONTA MAIN BE PURWAII.
00:54HONTA BE PURWAII BAS BE PURWAII, BAS BE PURWAII, basically.
00:57And with regards to the vocal texture, since you mentioned that it comes with a certain level of carefreeness.
01:02Yeah.
01:03So how did you pitch that? How did you decide?
01:05I wanted to make sure the song still felt like a Jhonita song.
01:09So I sang it and delivered it in a way that felt very much like me and what the music I'm putting out sounds like.
01:17And so we went with a very, like, soft tone still, like I do in a lot of the songs.
01:24And I worked with Ariza, who's a producer who I work with very often.
01:30And he kind of helped make the sound of the song come in line with all the songs that I've been working on and make it feel very consistent.
01:38Yeah.
01:39And it was all electronically produced or there were live instruments?
01:42There were no live instruments from what I know.
01:46I think it was all, yeah, produced electronically.
01:49And, but it's like a very, like, bouncy song.
01:53It's a dance song.
01:54It's a really fun and breezy song, but it also has a lot of attitude.
01:57And what would be the larger message that you would want to give through this song?
02:03This song is basically me telling everybody and reminding everybody that it's okay to be unapologetically yourself.
02:11And that sometimes we should really try not to get carried away with what the world thinks.
02:17And we should just do what we like to do and what makes us happy and what makes us feel carefree.
02:22And I think that's a great way to live.
02:25Yeah, absolutely.
02:27Yeah.
02:28And you live through different time zones, you know, you have worked in multiple languages.
02:32As an artist, how do you preserve, you mentioned this one word, cynical.
02:37Now for any artist to give their best, to deliver their best, there needs to be a certain level of innocence that they need.
02:44Yeah.
02:45It needs to be out there.
02:46The child inside them, it needs to be alive.
02:48Driving through the continents, through the countries, working in multiple languages, how do you preserve that innocence and that essence of attraction?
02:54I think there's a lot of things.
02:58It's not really a choice.
02:59I think I am by nature a little childlike.
03:03There's definitely things that I've learned with time and experience that make me less naive, but I think that's a good thing.
03:10And as long as we can channel the inner child whenever, you know, we're creating something or trying to express a message that feels very raw, then I think it's fine.
03:22But I mean, I'm very blessed and I think it's a very good thing that I have experiences that have made me less naive.
03:32It's how I've survived as an artist here.
03:35Okay.
03:36And you have collaborated with the Planet K and Amansa as well who comes to my mind.
03:40Many, many internationalists.
03:41Now, the essence of art comes through collaborations.
03:46You know, you have certain ideas, you collaborate with someone, they come from very different world, different culture, different values, and then something magical happens.
03:55I really love one of your songs, which is Gineria from Dhan Dhan Dhan, again, one of the favorites of our field.
04:05Being an artist and then collaborating with, you know, all these personalities, how has that shaped up your craft?
04:12Oh my God, it's such a learning curve.
04:14I think the more you work with different people who are so good at what they do, the more you learn about what you're capable of.
04:20So I, in working with Ram Anser specifically, I've learned so much that I didn't even know was possible with my voice, for instance.
04:28I've gained perspective also on how to approach singing a song that I didn't have before.
04:32Because when, like, he's a legend and he's been doing this for how many years, so successfully, and he's managed to really touch people with his music.
04:40So I think he's a great example of someone who I can look up to when it comes to creating my own music.
04:46And he's also, as a human being, very supportive and very warm and open.
04:52I don't think he'll ever not want to share something if he's learned something new.
04:56He's very excited about music. He's very excited about technology.
04:59So being around him keeps me also very inspired and excited about everything.
05:04So it's definitely shaped me by, not just as a musician, but as a human, by being around such incredible collaborators over the years.
05:12And I always invite more opportunities to work with people who are like-minded or who I can learn from, basically.
05:18And now, one thing about him, that his process of making music and working with singers is very non-linear.
05:26You know, you've seen something and he might have some idea and could use it at a different place, in a different timeline in the song.
05:32Could you please break down his process of working yourself with him?
05:36He's, it's very random, to be honest. That's correct. It's not linear at all.
05:42I've had every different kind of experience, actually, working on music.
05:46There's been some songs I've worked on with him where it was already sung by a Scratch singer.
05:51And so all I had to do was come and sing it in my own way.
05:55So that's the most linear way I've ever experienced.
05:58But also, when it comes to creating the song and the songs where I've been present for the creation process, it's very random.
06:04I remember when, in Highway, I had sung the song, Kahan Hoon Mein.
06:10And when the album was releasing, I came to know that there was another song that had my credit on it.
06:17And I hadn't sung that song.
06:19So I remember I asked his team, I'm like, hey, there's one more song on the track list.
06:23And it says, Implosive Silence, and the singer is Jonita Gandhi.
06:27And I'm like, that's me, but I've not sung this song. I've only sung Kahan Hoon Mein.
06:31And then I find out he used my takes from Kahan Hoon Mein, of parts where I was still learning the melody.
06:39Outtakes?
06:40Outtakes and also like humming, that I was just learning the tune at that point.
06:45And he made a whole new song out of it, which was like crazy, because again, it's just like one of those spur of the moment creative, I guess, moments of inspiration for him.
06:56Where he just, he'll think of something and then he can turn a song that was going in one direction and like completely change the direction and take it somewhere else only.
07:04There's been songs that I've worked on with him where he had created it for a male artist and then he decided, hey, let's make it a duet because Jonita is here or whatever.
07:13Let's give her a part on this song.
07:15Then the key would be a problem.
07:17And he would just do a key change in the middle of the song and then come back to like, it's so you would never think to do that.
07:23So he really does follow the whole.
07:25There's no rules and there's no boundaries in music philosophy.
07:28And that's what keeps it so immersive.
07:33It's very spontaneous.
07:35It's very like unexpected.
07:37Yeah.
07:38And as an actor, what are your general avenues to draw the inspiration from in the everyday life?
07:45I think just like raw human emotion is still the best inspiration because it needs to be something that everyone can relate to.
07:54So I try to keep it simple and keep it basic when it comes to the inspo that comes behind the songs.
08:00And in the last seven, eight years, especially with the advent of the audio streaming post pandemic has kind of accelerated.
08:09Do you think the music fraternity or the music making process has been largely democratized in the larger scheme?
08:18I didn't get the question. Sorry.
08:19Has the music making process or creating music or distributing your own music has become more democratic?
08:28As compared to before? When you say more democratic, what do you mean?
08:32In the sense artists are having the freedom to create their own music. They don't need to approach a label.
08:38Yeah, I think that that has always been the case. That's why I was asking.
08:43Like the process inherently is democratic, but there are I think less barriers now to start your own like label or release music independently.
08:53Especially because there's more examples of successful artists doing that.
08:57So there's more inspiration and motivation.
08:59Earlier is a little more daunting because it takes a lot of money and a lot of time and effort to put out your own song.
09:07Um, and market it and everything and find the right distribution platform and everything.
09:12So, yeah, I do think it's easier now than before.
09:17And taking that further, no, I've come from a generation who has seen the indie pop of the, uh,
09:23Sonia Di Chauhan, ma'am.
09:24Of course.
09:25In the later part, in the later part of the 90s.
09:27Uh, somewhere in the 2000s, that culture seemed to, you know, it went out of the window because of, uh, film music taking the prominence.
09:36Do you see that, uh, that culture coming back again with the rise of the independent music in the era of contemporary history?
09:43A hundred percent.
09:44I think now more than ever, there's a lot of love for non-film content.
09:49Um, a lot of films are relying on existing non-film releases that are popular and they're, they're syncing them to their films.
09:58Um, you're seeing re-releases of songs that have already been out for years and now they're like made a film version and used it in a film.
10:05So there's a lot of recycling of material happening also.
10:07And that's because there's proof of purchase.
10:09There's examples of songs that have become viral organically.
10:13And, um, yeah, I think Bollywood music is not doing as well as non-film music nowadays, which is a crazy time that we're seeing, which is great.
10:22Yeah, for, for artists like us who are putting out our own music.
10:27And talking about the live music and the session music, which we record in, in the rooms and music rooms or studios.
10:36Uh, as an artist, what keeps you more on your toes?
10:39Is it the live, uh, you know, thrill of performing in front of a live audience or in the inside the studios?
10:44Uh, I think they both do. It depends on who I'm working with. But the live singing, I think, keeps me more on my toes.
10:51Because you only have one opportunity to nail it. You know, the song on stage when you perform it, you just have that one shot.
10:58Whereas in the studio, you can keep trying things. If it doesn't work also, you can, like, fix it or, like, change it.
11:04And you can kind of self-correct as you go. But with live performance, it's very, like, one shot.
11:10And if you make a mistake, that's the charm of the game and you have just accept it.
11:15And, but again, live music, it comes with its own set of frills, you know, that are there at the periphery.
11:20Uh, an artist has to look a certain way when they're on the stage. Studio, they can be more relaxed, you know, more in their element.
11:26Yeah. How do you, how can an artist deal with that? The entire artist fraternity, the singers out there, even the ones who are just starting out.
11:34How can they deal with that pressure of, you know, that comes with the live music?
11:38Um, I don't know. I think it's part of, like, I think you should use it as to your advantage.
11:45Because, like you said, when you're performing live, there's so many factors. It's not just you singing.
11:50Whereas in the studio, like, it's pretty much just you singing and writing and whatever, creating.
11:55But I just mean you don't have to worry about, like, the lighting or, like, the choreography and the outfit or the expressions on your face.
12:04Because you're not being, most of the time, you're not being video recorded.
12:08On stage, now if you take all of those different factors, you could see it as an opportunity to add value to your, the impact of your performance.
12:17Um, we use all those factors to make our performance, not just a singing performance, but like an experience for the audience.
12:25And so I think it's something to take advantage of. You can really align all the different components to tell your story.
12:33And that's actually a gift, if you see it in the right way. It's a, so it's, I mean, it's pressure, but it's also liberating.
12:39Because you're like, okay, no, now I can control more how people feel when they come and see me perform.
12:45With the visuals, with the lighting.
12:48The pyrotechnics and everything.
12:50Everything around, not like, in addition to just singing.
12:53So.
12:54And in the past few years, we have seen many of the international bands now.
12:58Brian and I just came to India.
13:00Many, many more. Guns N' Roses.
13:02They just came, yeah.
13:04Do you think finally the live music market of India is finally getting its due on the global scale?
13:09I think the live scene in India is definitely booming.
13:12Um, it's really exciting to see that a lot of the concerts you're naming happened consecutively.
13:17Like, within the same few months.
13:19And still, the footfall was crazy.
13:21Like, people were buying tickets, people were showing up.
13:24So, there's definitely a wave right now of, in the culture of people wanting to actually physically go and experience live concerts.
13:31And I think that's also what puts more pressure, like you said in the other question, on us as artists.
13:36To make sure that we're stepping up our game and giving them a show that it's worth, you know, every rupee that they've spent.
13:42And I was listening to one of the interviews of Imashesh Mesa.
13:46And he said about something to the effect that, you know, what you want to create vis-a-vis what the market demands.
13:53There are, there's a lot of keeping difference between the two.
13:55Yeah.
13:56He said, today if I want to make a result, I know I can be, you know, I can bring my A game to the table.
14:01But when it comes to numbers, the audience may not have a taste or the audience size would be very limited for it.
14:07Has anything of that sort ever happened to you?
14:10All the time.
14:11I'm always struggling to determine what I should do.
14:15And like I'm straddling the two sides.
14:18One side is what I really want to do and what I feel like I like and what represents me.
14:22And then I also want to do what I feel like the audience wants from me, which are often, I think, very different.
14:28But there are always certain things that you can draw in common.
14:32So now you can either approach it and say, I'm going to do one for me and then do one for them and go back and forth, which is kind of what I'm doing.
14:40Or you can try to find a middle ground and you say, OK, this is what I want to do.
14:45But let's incorporate elements that people will relate with.
14:48And actually, that's what I'm doing now is like I'm picking songs and creating songs and delivering songs that are still things that I would love to do.
15:00But in a way that I feel is going to be understandable to my audience.
15:03And we spoke about A.R.M.
15:06Sir, I want to know what the music process of Preetamda is like.
15:09I'm with him.
15:10Because I've also worked with him, but that was eons ago.
15:14Preetamda.
15:15I was one of his assistants.
15:17Oh, wow.
15:18What I observed was he's highly disorganized.
15:21There's chaos going around.
15:23I think all artists are a little...
15:25Yeah, yeah.
15:26They're a little all over the place.
15:28All over the place, yeah.
15:29So what's that process of working like, you know, when every input is coming from you from every direction?
15:35Because he's so volatile, spontaneous, you know, that he constantly draws information from all around.
15:39Even when you're giving a take, he might have something in his head and he'll come to you and he'll get it.
15:43Yeah.
15:44But we could do this also.
15:45Yeah.
15:46How do you kind of make your way through it?
15:48How do you maneuver through that?
15:50I just take it as part of the process.
15:55I mean, it's good when you have somebody who's giving you ideas to try, you know, because you don't want to also be stuck in what you know and you think is safe.
16:07So I always welcome when people are around who are giving me, as long as they're good ideas, which obviously in Dada's case they would be.
16:17I haven't worked with him too much in the creation process.
16:20I've always gone there when the song has already been created.
16:22There's only been one or two songs where he was still like being, yeah, where they were still work being done on the melody itself.
16:31So in those ways, I think, I think I like the chaos.
16:34I think we all thrive in chaos when it comes to music making.
16:37Yeah.
16:38And with regards to the poetry of Ode Parmai, if you could bring down the lyrical structure to me, is it part English, part Punjabi, part India?
16:47How's it?
16:48It's all Punjabi.
16:49I think there's one line in English.
16:50Okay.
16:51Yeah.
16:52So it's, but it's all, I think it's like, it's a Punjabi that even Hindi speakers will understand.
16:58It's not like too, like tear Punjabi.
17:01Yeah.
17:02Yeah.
17:03Okay.
17:04So with that, we have reached the end of this conversation.
17:06If there's anything that I may have missed asking as a question about Veparwai or about anything else or something that you would have wanted to talk about this week?
17:13I just want to talk about Veparwai in general.
17:16The song is, I've been waiting to put this song up.
17:19It's been ready and it's been done since I think six months now.
17:22Oh, that long.
17:23Yeah, really long.
17:24And everyone who's heard this song has loved it.
17:27Touch wood.
17:28My whole team has also been just waiting.
17:29Like a lot of my friends who obviously get to hear my music unreleased, they keep texting me asking, Hey, when is that song coming out?
17:35So I feel really good about this song.
17:37And then now I'm even more excited because we've shot a video that matches, you know, the vibe of the audio.
17:43And it's very, very high energy, very bold and exciting because I'm doing full blown choreography in the video, which I haven't done in a while.
17:52And I'm really just being me.
17:55And we've also really tapped into the early 2000s period of like music videos when you used to see like Britney Spears and stuff like that.
18:03So I worked with the director.
18:04His name is Shadik.
18:05And we both aligned on the vision of kind of paying homage to that era of music videos.
18:11So I think you'll see a little bit of that also when you see this music video.
18:14And yeah, the song and the video are very spicy, I feel.
18:20So I'm just really excited to see how people react.
18:23I hope that people like it and enjoy this new Be Parva version of Jonita.
18:28And I'm tempted to ask one last question.
18:31When you have a song like Be Parva, you know, putting your heart and soul into it.
18:35It takes a certain amount of time, four months, two months.
18:38Yeah.
18:39It gets ready and then there's this time period wherein like you're all bundle of loves.
18:44You know, you are anticipating the audience reaction when the song is yet to release.
18:48People all around you, they are telling it's a great song.
18:51But still you are waiting in anticipation of how the audience will respond to this.
18:56What's that time period for you like and how do you go through that?
19:00It's honestly, I keep myself distracted.
19:03There's so many other things happening all the time.
19:06So right now I'm in that period because now it's like about to release.
19:11Or in, I don't know, maybe by the time this comes out it has released.
19:15I don't know.
19:16But the point is you always have to think about what's next.
19:20So you can't get carried away with what's happening now.
19:22You have to think about the next two, three projects also.
19:24So that's how I balance it.
19:26So what's done is done.
19:27What's done is done. Yeah.
19:29And it's great.
19:30So let's keep raising the bar. That's it.
19:33Perfect. So with that we have reached the end of this conversation.
19:35Thank you so much.
19:37It was a pleasure and an honor having this conversation.
19:39Same here.
19:40Thank you so much.