‘Punjabi music has always been a self-sustaining industry, with millions of listeners and amazing songs,’ shares singer Jonita Gandhi as Punjabi music continues to make great progress in a country where Bollywood music rules.
Time and again, the 31-year-old singer has wowed us with her mellifluous voice.
She has delivered songs like ‘Sau Tarah Ke’ and ‘The Break Up Song’, ‘Gilheriyaan’, and her Punjabi debut song, ‘Mera Jee Karda’.
In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the singer talks about her love for music and the creative process, and how she manages to reinvent herself.
Read on:
How has the response to
‘Mera Jee Karda’ been?
In just a day, we have received quite an amazing response; it’s heartwarming to see people reacting so well.
A few of my colleagues have personally reached out and commented on how different I sound in this song, as compared to others, and how much they enjoyed my presence in the video.
How was it working with Deep Jandu?
I’ve known Deep Jandu for several years since we are both from Toronto.
He’s done really well for himself in the Punjabi music scene and I was really excited to join forces with him on this project.
We worked on the audio for the song remotely as I was in Mumbai at the time, and then shot the video while I was back home for a visit in Toronto.
It was really fun to work with Deep and his team; they’re all very passionate and lovely people.
After crooning Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu songs, did you feel any difference singing a Punjabi number for the first time?
I’ve been singing Punjabi songs for as long as I can remember, and I’ve sung a few Punjabi film songs as well.
However, this is the first time I’ve lent my voice to an urban independent/non-film Punjabi single.
Few people realise that I belong to a Punjabi family and so this is home turf! My surname often misleads people.
After exploring many regional languages that I don’t understand, it feels great to be exploring music in a language that I grew up surrounded by.
Punjabi music has made its presence felt across the country now and even Bollywood is taking note…
Punjabi music has always been a self-sustaining industry, with millions of listeners and amazing songs.
The recent, more dominant crossover into Hindi film music has definitely made Punjabi music more universal.
Thanks to this, a lot of my current audience, who is used to hearing me more in Hindi and Tamil, will hopefully still be able to relate when I sing in Punjabi.
I love that Punjabi music is more mainstream now than ever.
What is the biggest takeaway from your career so far?
My biggest takeaway has been to focus on the present and the future, and to keep moving forward.
It’s a very volatile business and I have found that letting go and moving on to the next project is a key tactic to stay motivated to grow.
Now that you’ve made an identity for yourself, are you careful of the projects you take on?
I am more selective about what I work on now than I’ve ever been before.
As we progress in our careers and also grow more mature, our personal and professional priorities change.
And accordingly, we start to weed out more projects that don’t fulfill us.
Setting boundaries and having a clear way to define success is something I’ve learned to do over time.
The pandemic has further driven me to stay focused on more important career goals.
Does indie music require the backing of an eminent label?
Yes, no matter where you are and what you do, the world revolves around money.
And that’s a resource that big labels have more access to than independent unsigned artistes.
Labels have an edge since they can use money to boost their music.
That being said, I think it is not impossible to stand out even as a non-label artiste.
I have faith that smaller labels and even artistes who use their own YouTube channels, can cut through the noise as long as they have something unique to offer.
How do you take care of your mental health on days you face a creative block?
One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn is to allow myself to be unproductive and not feel guilty about it.
It’s completely normal to have good days and bad days and embracing that definitely allows for better mental health for me.
Especially since my biggest hobby has become my profession, I try to maintain other hobbies as well that I can do as an escape from the pressures of my work and music.
Are you happy with how things are shaping up for you?
Yes, I think I’ve had quite a unique journey so far, and I have lots to still explore.
Considering where I come from and how I started (halfway across the globe with little to no formal training, no connections in the industry, etc), I am proud of my path.
What are you currently working on?
I am constantly working on content for my Youtube channel and my Instagram page.
Without revealing much, I can say that you will also see more singles soon featuring me.
One message for aspiring music singers…
Work hard, embrace what makes you different, and always be ready to learn.
