AASTHA GILL recently released her latest track Crazy lady. The singer-songwriter speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about what the song is about and how from a journalist she went on to being a singer
What is your latest song about?
The song is about my own life experiences. It is important to be a bit crazy to make it big in life. I have been a crazy person when it comes to making decisions and breaking barriers. In this sense, it is important to be crazy and hence the title of the song as well.
From a Bachelor's in Journalism, how did you end up a singer?
It was a crazy decision on my part. One day I got a call from Raftaar bhai when I was working in advertising; a profession that I had decided to pursue. He asked me to reach the studio to dub my first Bollywood song. I took a leap of faith and left everything behind, didn’t look back and got into singing.
Your father is a musician. What made you pursue journalism then?
I had seen my dad struggle as a musician. I had seen so many others in his field waiting for the correct opportunity. I, therefore, wanted a stable job. This was my outlook when I would talk about my career graph. I loved advertising; I had learnt graphic designing and getting into creatives. But I suppose destiny had something else in mind. When I got this opportunity to sing, I don’t know what happened. I just grabbed the opportunity. I couldn’t say no to it.
Did you train in music?
Yes, partially. I wanted to learn and follow music for myself. Hence learn piano till Class IV; I have learnt classical music and western as well. But this was on and off all through growing up.
How did you end up collaborating with Sony Music India?
I have been with them for the last six years; that is when I signed up with them. All my big projects have been on it; it is like family to me.
The year 2020 was tough for almost all artists. Was it the same for you?
Yes, it has been tough. We are used to travelling and going out and being out there in the world. It has been a draining — emotionally and financially. Most of our income is based on the live shows that we do. Doing these is still not back on track. But I tried and made use of this time to my advantage and reinvented myself; I started penning down songs and tried my hand at production too.
How did you get your first break?
The first was Dhup Chik for Fugly. Like I said, I got a call from Raftaar bhai. I was not sure if it was a Bollywood song. I was just an ordinary person doing my advertising job. I knew it is not easy to get a break into Bollywood. But this song just came my way. While the first break was easy, the struggle started after this. I left my job and it was a fresh start. I was clueless where to go and what to do. It was hard work to get my single debut released. DJ Wale Babu happened due to Badshah bhai. He was introduced to me by Raftaar bhai. Abhi Toh Party, I dubbed and started travelling with Badshah bhaiyya. The struggle was to do better. We tried cracking the benchmark and couldn’t find anything. Then Buzz happened and it launched me as a solo pop singer.
Is this the reason behind Crazy Lady — to be at the top all the time?
I would not say I am at the top. I have still many miles to go before I am anywhere near the top. But yes, I am proud of this song because I have penned the song as well with Charan and Kanika.
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
I listen to all kinds of music — Punjabi. Hindi. Hip-hop, Blues, English and Bollywood. It completely depends on my mood. I draw my inspiration from whether people will be able to relate to the song we pen down.
What next?
I have a few collaborations that I am working on. I have a release lined-up. My next step is to explore genres and not be labeled as a party song singer.
