Sanah Moidutty, who has sung a song for India’s Most Wanted, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about her band & YouTube channel

• What is your track Matvaare about?

It’s a young, cute, romantic song. It’s being performed live at a cafe in the movie. Everyone’s having fun and grooving to the song when suddenly there’s a bomb blast and that changes everyone’s lives.

• What kind of preparation went into the song?

It was my dream to sing for Amit Trivedi’s music with Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics. I really love the duo. They were both present during the recording. Though I was nervous, it was fun recording it as the melody is so catchy and the lyrics are so quirky.There was no real preparation, it went in a flow.

• You do live shows as well. Where does your forte lie — playback or stage?

I love the vibe on stage. My band is from Chennai, I love that their influences are different from mine  so they come up with a unique sound for bollywood songs. When it all comes into play on stage, it’s a lot of fun. Playback is a different ball game altogether. It’s more focused. You need to be able to give the song your own personality. I’m beginning to enjoy that too. I’m yet to know where my forte lies though.

• Does it make a difference to the singer who the music director is? How?

Yes, it makes a lot of difference. For example in Matvaare I sound really different from my other songs. I am known for my soft songs, but this one is really peppy and has a very open tone. It’s because of Amit Trivedi and his vision of how I should sound. 

• Tell us about your musical journey.

My mom introduced me to music when I was five. I used to perform in orchestras since a young age. I continued to learn music during my school and college days. I’m lucky to have met Ben Thomas, my manager who has been my mentor. After engineering, I completely shifted my focus on to music. I formed a team for making YouTube videos. The process of creation with the team has been fun. I also have a band that’s really awesome. I’ve had my share of ups and downs, through which I keep learning.

• What kind of songs would you like to be part of?

I would like to try everything to be honest . But I would love to try songs that are very expressive. The kind of songs that Kishoreda sang. They were so full of life. I’ve done more romantic songs,so I’d love to do something funny or quirky. Also, songs with good lyrics. 

• How important is an award to an artist?

I won’t say it’s important but it’s definitely very motivating to receive an award. It’s nice to get recognised for your work. But having said that, I don’t believe that the artist who has got an award has the best work.

• Experience of working with AR Rahman.

Rahman sir is my biggest inspiration to pursue music. I dreamed all my life to meet him and work with him. I’m fortunate to have sung a duet with him. I was so amazed to be a part of his vision. I learnt a lot. The experience also helped me start a new journey.

• Future plans.

I intend to release more songs on my YouTube channel, originals and renditions . I’m also looking forward to collaborating with independent artists.